Oral submucous fibrosis in Asian countries

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic, insidious, and progressive oral mucosal disease that affects entire oral cavity and sometimes pharynx. This oral potentially malignant disorder has a high rate of malignant transformation (7%-30%) to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), posing global problems for public health. Due to enormous efforts dedicated to this disease in the past decades, there have been significant advances in identification of its etiology and pathogenesis as well as development of corresponding therapeutic approaches, in spite of several challenges. This study reviewed the existing literature concerning OSF in Asian countries, encompassing its etiology, histopathology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and treatments. For improving treatment of OSF, the multifactorial etiology analysis, incorporation of effective molecular pathways, cytokines and cells for mechanism illustration, and integration of multidisciplinary modalities were also expounded to guide future research and clinical practice.