Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Single Institute Study

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) is a well-established oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) affecting people of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka because these nations have a long-standing history of chewing areca nut. Objective: The primary objective of the current study was to assess the clinical features of OSMF in patients presented to the Department of Oral Medicine, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: This study was done on OSMF patients who came to the Oral Medicine department of Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan from June 2020 to July 2021. Clinicopathological parameters of OSMF like age, gender, habits and its frequency and duration, clinical signs and symptoms and stages were recorded. Result: There were a total of 60 patients of which 35 were males and 25 were females. The mean age of study subjects was calculated to be 36.46±11.96 years. More than 50% of the participants were using a combination of various tobacco products. Most of the patients in our study were of stage III followed by stages II, I and IV. 70% of patients had buccal fibrous bands bilaterally, 36.66% of patients had tongue restriction and 60% of patients complained of burning sensation in the mouth. Conclusion: OSMF becomes a disease of the young generation with a slight male predilection. The majority of individuals suffered from a severe and advanced form of the disease. The development of diagnostic aids is necessary to stop the disease in its early stages.