Oral Submucous Fibrosis

The incidence of oral premalignant and malignant lesions is on the rise due to increased in number of people consuming tobacco, alcohol and areca nut related products.Tobacco and alcohol have been established as risk factors for the development of such premalignant lesions of the oral mucosa. The use of tobacco has increased considerably in the last few decades especially, as various new forms of smokeless forms of tobacco have been emerging, alluring new consumers. The concept of premalignant lesions has now been replaced by the term oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD'S) which conveys that not all lesions may transform into cancer and there is a family of morphological alterations amongst which, some may have an increased potential for malignant transformation. Pindborg in 1966 defined oral sub-mucous fibrosis "as insidious, chronic disease affecting any part of the oral mucosa and sometimes the pharynx, although occasionally preceded by and/or associated with vesicle formation, it is always associated with juxta-epithelial inflammatory reaction followed by fibro-elastic change of the lamina propria, with epithelial atrophy leading to stiffness of the oral mucosa.

The incidence of oral premalignant and malignant lesions is on the rise due to increased in number of people consuming tobacco, alcohol and areca nut related products.Tobacco and alcohol have been established as risk factors for the development of such premalignant lesions of the oral mucosa.  The use of tobacco has increased considerably in the last few decades especially, as various new forms of smokeless forms of tobacco have been emerging, alluring new consumers. The concept of premalignant lesions has now been replaced by the term oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD'S) which conveys that not all lesions may transform into cancer and there is a family of morphological alterations amongst which, some may have an increased potential for malignant transformation. Pindborg in 1966 defined oral sub-mucous fibrosis "as insidious, chronic disease affecting any part of the oral mucosa and sometimes the pharynx, although occasionally preceded by and/or associated with vesicle formation, it is always associated with juxta-epithelial inflammatory reaction followed by fibro-elastic change of the lamina propria, with epithelial atrophy leading to stiffness of the oral mucosa.