Morphometric evaluation of soft palate in oral submucous fibrosis-A digital cephalometric analysis

Abstract

Aims: The present clinico-radiological study was done to evaluate the morphological variants of soft palate in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) patients using digital lateral cephalometry. Different variations in the morphology of soft palate were compared with stages of OSMF. Further, soft palate morphology in OSMF patients was compared radiographically with that of normal population. Materials and Methods: A total number of 100 patients who were a part of this study were divided in two equal Groups. Group 1 comprised of 50 patients clinically diagnosed with OSMF and Group 2 included 50 routine patients. Results: Six different morphological variants of soft palate were found. Among the study Groups, type 1soft palate was most commonly seen (56%) whereas type 5 was the least common variant. Majority of patients belonged to stage II OSMF and type 1soft palate was commonly seen in this stage of disease whereas butt shaped soft palate (type 3) was more common in stage III OSMF. Conclusion: In OSMF, type 1 and 2 are commonly seen but as the diseases advances, these are replaced by type 3 and 6 variants. In OSMF patients, there in reduction in the anterio-posterior dimension of soft palate.