As a component of the National Survey of Oral Health of School Children conducted in 1986-87 (Z01-DE-00420), a sample of approximately 41,000 children in grades K-12 were examined for the presence of oral soft tissue lesions and questioned about their history of recurrent aphthous ulcers and herpes labialis. Children in grades 6-12 were interviewed to determine their use of tobacco and alcohol. Preliminary analysis showed that about 4.1 percent of the children had an oral soft tissue lesion or condition. The conditions most frequently observed were aphthous ulcers, herpes labialis, smokeless tobacco- associated lesions, and geographic tongue. The prevalence of a positive history of aphthous ulcers and herpes labialis was 36.8 percent, 32.9 percent, respectively. About 16 percent of the children reported being affected by both conditions. About 16 percent of children in grades 6-12 reported past or present use of tobacco in any form. Prevalence of use was 9.6 percent for cigarettes, 4.6 percent for snuff and 5.2 percent for chewing tobacco. Cigarette use showed no difference by gender, whereas for smokeless tobacco products males reported use almost 20 times more frequently than females. About 58 percent of adolescents reported ever having used alcohol, with prevalence increasing from 31 percent in sixth graders to 82 percent in high school seniors. Five percent of the sample reported alcohol use on 52 or more days per years.
