Assessment Of Incidence Of Oral Submucous Fibrosis Patients - An Institutional Study

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is an oral precancerous condition characterized by inflammation and progressive fibrosis of the submucosal tissues resulting in marked rigidity and trismus. It has a malignant transformation rate of about 7.6%. The etiopathogenesis of this disease is multifactorial, yet Areca nut chewing in any formulation is considered as the most significant causative agent. Aim: To assess the prevalence of Oral submucous fibrosis in patients reporting to private university hospital setting. Materials and methods: All the cases reported between the month of June 2019 to March 2020 having Oral submucous fibrosis were chosen for this study. Data of OSMF patients were retrieved from dental records and analyzed. The incidence of OSMF was tabulated and was subjected to statistical analysis. Results: From the statistical analysis, it is observed that OSMF has male predilection (91.7%), with the most commonly involved age group between 2nd to 6th decade of life and the frequency of both the arches involved were equally higher. The most common habit associated with the patients of oral submucous fibrosis was pan chewing (36.9%) followed by usage of Areca nuts (30.2%). Conclusion: Within the limitation of the given study, oral submucous fibrosis was observed to have Male predilection, primarily affecting people between the age group of 20 to 60 years and predominantly associated with the usage of pan, Areca nuts and gutka. Clinical Significance: With the current study as a platform, prevalence of Oral submucous fibrosis among different age groups and genders can be evaluated to enable dentists gain a thorough knowledge on susceptibility groups and will also aid in improving general public oral health.