Oral malignancy: a regional incidence observed over a 13-year period.

In this study slightly more than two out of every 100 biopsy specimens from the set population of 10,414 specimens showed malignant oral lesions. The most common sites for oral malignancy were the floor of the mouth and the alveolar ridge, respectively. Lesions were most common during the fifth decade of life, followed by the sixth. Eighty-eight percent of the malignant lesions occurred in whites and 12% inn blacks. This does not deviate significantly from the percentage in the total biopsies reported. Of the categories of neoplasms, surface ectodermal neoplasms predominated, followed by salivary and mesenchymal lesions, respectively. There did not appear to be a significant difference in sex incidence.