Introduction: Children affected by oral diseases are of great importance and there effects on oral health related quality of life is more of a concern to any Public Health Dentist. The occurrence and distribution of oral soft tissue lesions and developmental variations are very common and wide spread. Oral care and the diseases that occur in the oral cavity are of continuous interest to the dental profession as it is essential for the application of timely intervention for primary prevention, early diagnosis and prompt treatment of these pathologies. Aim is to assess the prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions and developmental variations among school children of Patna. Materials and Methods: A school based approach was used. The study population consisted of 600 school children aged 6-12 years belonging to 5 schools in Patna constituted the study population. Etiological factors were not taken into consideration. Clinical examination was carried out by a single examiner based on WHO criteria’s. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: 30.7% of the subjects had one or the other kind of lesions or developmental variations. Angular Chelitis was the most common oral soft tissue lesions with 27.7% among the study population affected, followed by dentoalveolar abscess 27.2%; Aphthous ulcer 10.9%; Traumatic ulcer 10.2%; Herpes Labialis 7.1%; Fissured tongue 7.1% and the remaining formed 9.8% which included Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, Papilloma, Geographic tongue, focal epithelial hyperplasia and commissural pits. Conclusion: It not only gives additional information on the incidence of oral diseases or conditions but also enhances the responsibility of the dentist in the total care for children.
