Demographic and Clinical Profile of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Retrospective Study

Aims: Assessment of risk factors and the role of habit variables such as duration and frequency in the severity of OSMF and to ascertain the association of gender predilection for different habits and severity of OSMF. Study Design: Descriptive retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Rural Dental College, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University), Loni Bk. between January 2012 and December 2019. Methodology: This descriptive retrospective study of 1790 OSMF patients was carried out at the tertiary level dental hospital in the rural population of Western Maharashtra. The clinicodemographic data including details of habits was collected for a period of 8 years. Results: The average age of the patient in the study was 32.8 years, with 16.5:1 M:F ratio. Significantly higher proportions of females (69.6%) were illiterate and belonged to low socioeconomic status.There was a statistically significant increase for areca nut chewing (OR=0.135(0.054-0.342), P < 0.0001), gutkha chewing (OR=22.32(10.421-47.817), P < 0.0001), tobacco chewing (OR= 0.111(0.04-0.308), p<0.0001), smoking habits (OR=30.791(7.472-126.89), P < 0.0001) and alcohol (OR=12.692(3.077-52.347, p < 0.0001) in males when compared with females.The maximum patients were seen in stage II (37%) and stage III (34%), followed by stage I (18.73%) and stage IV (10.3%) and the severity of OSMF was more in subjects who had the habits for longer duration. Conclusion: There was a definite gender predilection for various habits and their variables (frequency, duration), educational and socioeconomic status, clinical features and disease severity. Significant correlation was also found between habit variables (duration, frequency) and severity of the disease.