Impact of Oral Submucous Fibrosis on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic disease of the oral cavity which presents clinically with burning sensation, leathery consistency of oral mucosa with palpable fibrous bands leading to reduced mouth opening. Though the evaluation of quality of life (QOL) in health care is gaining importance, researches regarding the evaluation of QOL in OSMF individuals are very sparse. Aim The aim of the present study is to evaluate the QOL assessment in OSMF patients through WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Methodology The study includes a total of 300 participants recruited from the outpatient department. The quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The raw scores for the physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environmental health domains were done on 4-20 scale suggested by the WHOQOL procedural manual. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for the simultaneous comparison of mean scores for the four domains, and independent t test was used for the comparison of two means of domain scores. Results The participants with OSMF have a significant negative impact on the quality of life when compared with the participants without OSMF (P = 0.002). The environmental factors in the WHOQOL-BREF have shown a significant difference in the QOL of participants with OSMF than without OSMF (P = 0.001). Conclusion The oral submucous fibrosis has a negative impact on the quality of life in participants with OSMF specifically in social and environmental domains of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Keywords Oral submucous fibrosis Á Quality of life Á WHOQOL-BREF Á Oral premalignant condition Á Environmental health

Assessing the Quality of Life of Oral Submucous Fibrosis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the WHOQOL-BREF Tool

“…In the current study, the highest mean scores (27.09 ± 4.32) were observed for the environmental domain and the lowest scores (10.75 ± 1.49) for the social relationship domain. This is in contradiction with the study results of Chaudhry K et al [ 35 ], who used the same tool to assess the impact of OSMF on QoL, where they observed the highest score (15.65 ± 2.23) in the social domain and the lowest score (14.33 ± 2.06) in the social domain. The reasons for these differences could be the variations in the study samples analyzed, cultural changes, social differences, financial issues, and the recruitment procedure, in which all the participants of OSMF were recruited with restrictions on clinical severity based on mouth opening.…”

“…All QOL domains were statistically insignificant in relation to functional stages (mouth opening). This is not in agreement with the results of Chaudhry et al [ 35 ], who observed that all the domains of QOL were significantly affected with progression of the disease from mild to moderate to severe results. The difference could be due to not including all the functional stages of mouth opening.…”

“…Thus, the hypothesis was accepted. These findings are in agreement with studies conducted by Chaudhry et al [ 35 ] and Tadakamadla et al [ 62 ] in India, by Suliman et al [ 34 ] in Sudan among diseased patients, and by Lodhi FS et al [ 63 ] in Pakistan among the general population. This might be due to the lack of facilities in terms of better living conditions, access to hospitals, transport, quality education, security, physical mobility, entertainment, and shopping centers.…”

“…Numerous studies have been conducted in both general and diseased populations, including OSMF patients [ 14 , 18 , 25 , 26 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. The studies conducted in OSMF patients have focused on its etiology, pathology, genetic mutation, malignant potential, and various available treatment modalities, but its impact on different domains of patients’ lives has been investigated in a limited way or has not been investigated properly.…”

Research Achievements of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: Progress and Prospect

“…After ingesting spicy foods, OSMF patients will experience severe mouth burn. The typical symptoms of OSMF patients with limited mouth opening directly affect the level of discomfort in the quality of daily life [ 35 , 91 ]. Many patients with OSMF have anxiety, depression, and stress and show weak social interaction, and the incidence is proportional to the severity of the disease.…”