Non-Invasive Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis- Boon or Disguise

Abstract

Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that results in progressive juxtaepithelial fibrosis of the oral soft tissues that can cause increasing difficulty in chewing, swallowing, speaking, and mouth opening. Many treatment regimens for oral submucous fibrosis have been proposed to alleviate the signs and symptoms of the disorder. In severe cases, surgical intervention is the only treatment modality, but relapse is a major problem. Even after 6 decades of its description as a separate entity, no concrete treatment is available due to its multi-modal pathogenesis. Thus, adding to the morbidity associated with it. Current article is an attempt to compile the available treatment aids, their current status and future perspectives, so as to aid early intervention of the disease.

This study undertook a review of the literature on drug treatment of oral submucous fibrosis. Drugs like steroids, hyaluronidase, human placenta extracts, chymotrypsin and collagenase, pentoxifylline, nylidrin hydrochloride, iron and multivitamin supplements including lycopene, have been used. Only systemic agents were associated with few adverse effects like gastritis, gastric irritation and peripheral flushing with pentoxifylline, and flushingly warm skin with nylidrin hydrochloride; all other side-effects were mild and mainly local. The drug treatment that is currently available for oral submucous fibrosis is clearly inadequate. There is a need for high-quality randomized controlled trials with carefully selected and standardized outcome measures.