BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Biochemical derangements of microelements although reported in oral cancer is poorly understood in oral submucous fbrosis (OSMF). Hence, the present study was carried out to estimate and compare the serum copper and zinc levels among different histopathological stages of OSMF with that of healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty histopathologically diagnosed ca...

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic fibrotic disorder in which the degree of vascularity has always been a matter of dispute; however, morphological studies of the blood vessels in OSMF have been sparse. This study was performed to assess the mucosal vasculature in normal oral mucosa, early and advanced OSMF, and well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (WDSCC) using morphometry. The...

OBJECTIVE Evaluation of Myofibroblasts by studying expression of Alpha smooth muscle actin: A marker of Fibrosis, Dysplasia and Carcinoma. BACKGROUND Myofibroblasts are cells that have contractile properties and are involved in inflammation, wound healing, fibrosis and oncogenesis in most of the organs and tissues. They are involved in healing and granulation tissue formation which occur afte...

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a well recognized premalignant condition predominantly affecting the oral cavity, but sometimes extending to the pharynx, esophagus or even the larynx. OSMF may lead to stiffness of the oral cavity, resulting in trismus and inability to eat, difficulty with speech or swallowing, pain in the throat and ears, and a relative loss of auditory acuity. To evaluate th...

BACKGROUND Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic, premalignant condition of the oral mucosa and one of the commonest potentially malignant disorders amongst the Asian population. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of etiologic factors with: age, frequency, duration of consumption of areca nut and its derivatives, and the severity of clinical manifestations. M...

BACKGROUND Macrophages are important cells for the innate immunity. Circulating monocytes are attracted to tissues by chemotactic factors and become macrophages under the influence of their microenvironment. Several studies suggested that local and systemic upregulation of fibrogenic cytokines and downregulation of antifibrotic cytokine are central to the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis...

Introduction: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder with a multifactorial etiology. Recent studies have shown that there are increased levels of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) in the plasma of OSMF patients suggesting its possible role in etiopathogenesis. Purpose: To assess the FDP levels in the plasma of OSMF patients in betel nut chewers and in healthy par...

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic insidious disease affecting mucosa and submucosa of oral cavity and soft palate. The present study aimed to evaluate the morphology of soft palate in normal individuals and OSMF patients using lateral cephalometry and to compare and correlate these variants of soft palate with different stages of OSMF. 100 subjects were included in the study, who were...

OBJECTIVE In our routine review of Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) biopsies, we observed decreased adipose tissue even though most are from buccal mucosa. Pathogenesis of OSMF has demonstrated the role of Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF β), in causing fibrosis. This study aims to correlate the role of TGF β with loss of adipose tissue in OSMF. STUDY DESIGN From our archives, 84 OSMF cases (2...

INTRODUCTION Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is also considered as an Asian version of sideropenic dysphagia, wherein chronic iron deficiency leads to mucosal susceptibility to irritants, such as chillies and areca nut products. Hemoglobin (Hb) levels, in particular, serum iron levels, are considered as biochemical indicators for nutritional assessment. Serum iron content can thus be a predictor...