Submucosa Precedes Lamina Propria in Initiating Fibrosis in Oral Submucous Fibrosis - Evidence Based on Collagen Histochemistry

Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic insidious disease and a well-recognized potentially malignant condition of the oral cavity. It is a collagen related disorder associated with betel quid chewing and characterized by progressive hyalinization of the lamina propria. Objectives: It is traditionally held that in oral submucous fibrosis the hyalinization process starts from the lamina propria and progresses to involve the submucosal tissues. However reports of some investigators suggest that on the contrary, the fibrosis starts in the submucosa and not in the juxta epithelium as previously assumed. Methods: A histochemical study comparing the pattern of collagen deposition and hyalinization in early and advanced cases of oral submucous fibrosis was done using special stain for collagen. Result & Conclusion: The results suggest that in a certain percentage of cases submucosa precedes the lamina propria in initiating fibrosis in this disease. This could have implications on the differences in clinical presentation, biological progression, neoplastic transformation and responsiveness to treatment.