Quantitative analysis of mast cells in oral submucous fibrosis

Back ground: On the Indian subcontinent, the use of smokeless tobacco in various forms is very popular. Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic condition of the oral mucosa, which results in a marked rigidity with progressive inability to open the mouth and has an increased risk of undergoing carcinomatous changes about four to eight percent. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether early recognization and subsequent prevention of its transformation into an advanced stage would assist in early treatment of this condition. Method: This study was undertaken by retrieving the records and the paraffin blocks of the confirmed cases of 30 oral submucous fibrosis and 10 normal buccal mucosa as control. Two sets of sections were obtained. One set subjected to Toluidine Blue staining and the other set subjected to Hematoxylin & Eosin. Result: The mast cell response in oral sub mucous fibrosis was reported to be high in the early stages where the reaction of the tissue to the irritant is strong. As the disease advances tissue becomes less reactive, gets hyalinized and occasionally shows degeneration where the mast cells are reduced and are often even fewer than in the normal mucosa. Conclusion: Since this disease is known to be prevalent in India due to the habits, the study was conducted to observe different histopathological features and the occurrence of mast cells in various grades of Oral Sub Mucous fibrosis. This study also emphasizes the role of mast cells and its concentration in different grades of OSMF.