A Descriptive Study Using Ultrasonography to Compare the Internal Echogenic Pattern of the Masseter Muscle in Patients With and Without Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Abstract

Objectives: The increased muscle activity and diminished blood supply following connective tissue changes in Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSF) patients lead to muscle degeneration and fibrosis. The histopathological examination of OSF patients confirms fibrosis, but it also causes scarring and worsens OSF. Ultrasonography (USG) has been utilized in recent research to assess the echogenic patterns of the head and neck muscles in OSF patients. The study aimed to compare the echogenic pattern of the masseter muscle in OSF patients to that of normal mucosa using USG. Methods: The study population was split into cases and controls. The cases were 63 subjects who were clinically diagnosed with OSF. In comparison, the controls were 63 subjects who were randomly selected from the outpatient clinic of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Government Dental College, Thiruvananthapuram. According to Khanna and Andrade’s criteria, OSF subjects were divided into four groups based on their clinical findings. A high-resolution real-time LOGIQUE C5 ultrasonic scanner with 7-12MHz transducers was used to image the masseteric muscle. Results: In the present study, type II internal echogenic pattern (64.4 %) was predominant, followed by type III and type I in OSF subjects. So, type I internal echogenic patterns might be associated with normal muscles, and types II and III internal echogenic patterns might be associated with pathologic changes. A good interobserver agreement was observed. Conclusion: In OSF patients, the appearance of the masseter muscle’s internal echogenic pattern showed a varied pattern from that of normal types.