Potentiality of malignant transformation of oral submucous fibrosis: A prospective study

Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder (PMD) which has one of the highest rates of malignant transformation (MT) rate. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of MT of OSMF and to analyze the possible contributory factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, habits, various signs and symptoms, and presence of other oral PMDs in a group of OSMF patients attending the Oral Medicine Department. Materials and Methods: Out of 25,200 patients who visited the Outpatient Department of School of Dental Sciences, KIMSDU, Karad, from January 2017 to December 2020, 1342 (5.3%) were diagnosed with OSMF and comprised the study sample, in which 1300 (96.87%) were male and 42 (3.12) were female. All the patients were subjected to incisional biopsy, and clinical diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically. Results: The prevalence of OSMF was 5.3% with male predominance, and majority of OSMF patients were in the age group of 21–30 years. Betel chewer's mucosa and leukoplakia was the most associated lesion. Out of total 1300 male and 42 female OSMF patients, 897 (69%) and 17 (40.47%) showed epithelial dysplasia, and 61 (4.69%) male and 1 (2.38%) female patients showed signs of MT, respectively. Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of certain risk factors for OSMF that are associated with an increased chance of MT. There is an urgent need of awareness programs through public–private partnership.