Demographic and Clinical Profile of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder which is irreversible in nature and has high morbidity and high malignant transformation rate and hence demands focus on prevention of the disease at population and individual level. AIMS: Assessment of risk factors and the role of habit variables such as duration and frequency in the severity of OSMF and to ascertain the association of gender predilection for different habits and severity of OSMF. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This descriptive retrospective study of 1801 OSMF patients was carried out at the Dental hospital in the rural population of Gwalior region. The clinicodemographic data including details of habits was collected for a period of 5 years, from January 2016 to December 2021. Collected data was analysed using Systat version 12 software. RESULTS: The average age of the patient in the study was 32.8 years, with 16.5:1 M:F ratio. Significantly higher proportions of females (69.6%) were illiterate and belonged to low socioeconomic status. There was a statistically significant increase for areca nut chewing (OR=0.135(0.054-0.342), P < 0.0001), gutkha chewing (OR=22.32(10.421-47.817), P < 0.0001), tobacco chewing (OR= 0.111(0.04-0.308), p<0.0001), smoking habits (OR=30.791(7.472-126.89), P < 0.0001) and alcohol (OR=12.692(3.077-52.347, p < 0.0001) in males when compared with females. The maximum patients were seen in stage II (37%) and stage III (34%), followed by stage I (18.73%) and stage IV (10.3%) and the severity of OSMF was more in subjects who had the habits for longer duration. CONCLUSION: There was a definite gender predilection for various habits and their variables (frequency, duration), educational and socioeconomic status, clinical features and disease severity. Significant correlation was also found between habit variables (duration, frequency) and severity of the disease.