Clinicobiochemical evaluation of turmeric with black pepper and nigella sativa in management of oral submucous fibrosis—a double-blind, randomized preliminary study

Abstract

To investigate the effectiveness of turmeric with black pepper and nigella sativa in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). Forty OSMF patients were randomly divided into two groups. The study was performed under a double-blind, randomized design. Group A received turmeric with black pepper and group B received nigella sativa for 3months. Clinical evaluation was done every 15days. Patients' serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were assessed before and after treatment and also compared with healthy controls. The response to treatment was analyzed using analysis of variance, paired t test, and unpaired t test. After the treatment, groups A and B showed 3.85±0.22mm and 3.6±0.07mm improvement in mouth opening, respectively (P<.01); 87.90% and 78.91% reduction in burning sensation, respectively (P<.01); and+0.62 U/mL and+0.74U/mL improvement in serum SOD levels, respectively (P<.05). The maximum mouth opening achieved was 8mm in group A and 7mm in group B. The mean pretreatment SOD level for controls and patients was 3.61±0.24 U/mL in group A and 2.63±0.18 U/mL in group B. Turmeric with black pepper and nigella sativa improved mouth opening, burning sensation, and SOD levels in the present OSMF study patients; however, further investigations are needed.