Fordyce granules on the prolabial and oral mucous membranes of a selected population.

Fordyce granules are commonly seen on the prolabial and oral mucous membranes of adults. According to Sewerin there is a prevalence of 80% on the prolabial mucous membranes and 95% on the oral mucous membranes and reaches a peak between 20 and 29 years of age. Experienced clinicians find that these figures are too high for the South African population. In order to accept or reject this hypothesis, it was decided to determine the prevalence of Fordyce granules in a selected population of adult South-Africans of all the age groups, but mainly between 20 and 29 years of age. In this study, the prevalence of ectopic sebaceous glands (Fordyce granules) on the prolabial and oral mucous membranes of a selected South African population, was 62.07% and 57.25% in adult males and females, respectively. This is significantly lower than the prevalence reported by Sewerin. This study also revealed that Fordyce granules are mostly seen on the lips (vermillion), labial mucosa and the corresponding parts of the alveolabial sulcus. The buccal mucosa is the second most common site, and there is no significant difference in the prevalence between males and females.