Management of oral submucous fibrosis: an overview

Oral submucous fibrosis is a disease due to a chronic, insidious change in fibroelasticity, characterized by burning sensation in the oral cavity, blanching, and stiffening of the oral mucosa and oro-pharynx leading to trismus and inability to open the mouth. The symptoms and signs depend on the progression of the lesions and number of affected sites. It is predominantly seen in Indians and other Asians. Once, the disease has developed, there is neither regression nor any effective treatment. It is considered as a pre-malignant stage of oral cancer and reported risk of malignant transformation varies from 2.3-7.6%.The common etiological factor considered for this unremitting disease is use of areca nut; however, the precise pathogenesis still remains elusive and controversial. A wide range of treatment consisting of drug management, surgical therapy, and physiotherapy have been attempted till date; with varying degrees of benefit, but none of them have proved to be a cure for this disease. This field remains open for clinical trials and research. This paper aims to provide an overview on various management modalities available for oral submucous fibrosis.