Oral submucous fibrosis – a brief review

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a debilitating, potentially cancerous oral condition, caused primarily by chewing areca nut and its mixtures, as demonstrated by numerous epidemiological studies and other corroborative evidence. The condition may sometimes extend beyond the mouth to the oesophagus.OSF is well established as a condition with high malignant potential and is considered irreversible. It results in limited mouth opening which may leads to, chewing, swallowing, and speech problem. It is a characterized by juxta epithelial inflammatory reaction and progressive fibrosis of the submucosal tissues such as lamina propira and deeper connective tissues.OSF is quite common in Indian subcontinent due to various oral habits like chewing tobacco, chewing pan masala etc. Early diagnosis is very important to prevent the lesion to be malignant. Herein, I have briefly discussed the historical perspective, definition, epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, clinical features, histopathological features in general along with different treatment modalities of OSF.