A case‐control study of oral submucous fibrosis with special reference to the etiologic role of areca nut

Abstract

A case-control study to elucidate the etiology of oral submucous fibrosis was conducted in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Sixty consecutively arriving oral submucous fibrosis patients at a dental clinic were selected as cases. An equal number of controls matched for age, sex, religion and socioeconomic status were selected from individuals who did not exhibit any oral mucosal lesion or condition. Among cases, 98% chewed areca nut regularly in one form or the other whereas among controls 35% chewed areca nut, giving an overall relative risk of 109.6. Areca nut chewing was practiced most commonly in the form of mawa: a mixture containing mainly areca nut (over 90% by weight), some tobacco, and a few drops of lime. Mawa chewers and those who chewed mawa along with other chewing habits showed very high relative risks. The relative risks increased with increase in the frequency as well as the duration of chewing habits. In a bivariate analysis the effect of frequency and duration of chewing appeared to be multiplicative. The present findings confirm areca nut as the most important etiologic factor in oral submucous fibrosis.

Correlation of Habits and Clinical Findings with Histopathological Diagnosis in Oral Submucosal Fibrosis Patients

“…We noted that of 80 subjects, 47 had faucial and buccal bands which are comparable to studies of Moos and Madan (1968), Gupta (1978) and Sinor (1990).…”

“…Our observations of 60 patients who chewed gutkha is comparable to Sinor et al (1990). We also noted OSMF in a patient who chewed raw arecanut only which was comparable with Bhonsle (1987), Maher (1994), Van Wyk (1994) and Ranganathan (2004).…”

“…In the present study of the 80 subjects, 16 had faucial, buccal and labial bands which are comparable to Gupta (1978), Shiau (1979), Seedat (1988) and Sinor (1990).…”

“…An earlier study from India by Sinor et al (1990) also reported that both the duration and the frequency of chewing increased the relative risk of developing OSF.…”

Oral submucous fibrosis in a 11-year-old Bangladeshi girl living in the United Kingdom

“…[10][11] A case control study showed that the condition only occurred among those who chewed areca-nut in one form or another. 12 However, this observation is still not fully conclusive and other factors such as genetic and nutritional influences also have a role to play. As there is no cure for the condition education and prevention seem the only way to reduce the risk of OSMF in the South Asian community.…”