Comparative study of the efficacy of herbal antioxdants oxitard and aloe vera in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis.

S Patil,S Maheshwari,Bs Santosh,V Halgatti

doi:10.4317/jced.51424

Abstract

Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder predominantly seen in the Indian subcontinent due to areca nut, tobacco and their products. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of oxitard and aloe vera in the management of OSMF. Material and Methods: 120 subjects with OSMF were included in the study. The patients were clinico-pathologically diagnosed and divided equally in 2 groups, Group A (oxitard group) and Group B (aloe vera group). Group A was administered 2 oxitard capsules twice daily and Group B was given 5 mg aloe vera gel to be applied topically thrice daily for 3 months. Different clinical parameters were evaluated at regular intervals. Data was analyzed using the Student’s paired t test and Chi-square test. P-value <0.001 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Clinical improvements in mouth opening and tongue protrusion was significant in the oxitard group (p=0.0005). Subjective symptoms of pain associated with the lesion (p=0.0003), difficulty in swallowing (p=0.0000) and speech (p=0.0001) also significantly improved in the Group A. The improvement in burning sensation was not statistically significant between the 2 groups (p=0.002). There was a mild to moderate decrease in the size of the lesion. Conclusions: Though there is no definitive treatment for the condition however, overall assessment of symptoms like mouth opening, tongue protrusion, difficulty in swallowing and speech and pain associated with the lesion showed that oxitard capsules can bring about significant clinical improvements than aloe vera gel in the treatment of OSMF. Key words:Oral submucous fibrosis, oxitard capsules, aloe vera, burning sensation, mouth opening.

Highlights

Oral submucous fibrosis [OSMF] is a high risk premalignant condition of oral cavity, pharynx and upper digestive tract, characterized by progressive inability to open the mouth and by inflammation and progressive fibrosis of the submucosal tissues [1]
Evaluation for presence, absence or reduction of other clinical parameters such as burning sensation, pain associated with the lesion, difficulty in swallowing and speech and variation in the size of the lesion, which was assessed based on the blanching of the oral mucosa was done at regular intervals of 1 month, 2 month and 3 months
OSMF is a chronic disease of the oral cavity and oropharynx which is predominantly seen in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asian countries, commonly seen in the patients chewing arecanut and is globally considered an Indian disease

Summary

Introduction

Oral submucous fibrosis [OSMF] is a high risk premalignant condition of oral cavity, pharynx and upper digestive tract, characterized by progressive inability to open the mouth and by inflammation and progressive fibrosis of the submucosal tissues [1]. Susrutha described a condition similar to OSMF as “vidari”, under the umbrella of mouth and throat diseases in ancient medicine [2] Pindborg and his associates [3] defined the condition as “an insidious chronic disease affecting any part of the oral cavity and sometimes pharynx. The habit of betel quid chewing is practiced predominately in the Indian subcontinent from a long time [1] These trigger the synthesis of collagen, tough fibrinous protein which causes stiffening of the soft mucous membrane and muscles of the oral cavity. Synthetic drugs, etc have been introduced and tried for the management of OSMF One such plant is aloe vera which promotes wound healing, and has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant properties [5].

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