Clinical and functional staging of oral submucous fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of location of bands in oral submucous fibrosis and extent of mouth-opening.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

University hospital, Pakistan.

SUBJECTS: 325 patients who presented with oral submucous fibrosis in Karachi between January 1992 and October 1994, of whom 288 had data sufficient for analysis.

MAIN MEASURES: Location of fibrous bands in the mouth and interincisal distance (mm).

RESULTS

All subjects with labial bands had bands in the fauces, and all but one who had labial bands also had buccal bands. All those with buccal bands also had bands in the fauces. Of those with buccal bands, 42% did not have labial bands. The proportion of patients with bands in all three sites increased from functional stage A (interincisal opening < or = 10 mm) to stage C (interincisal opening > or = 20 mm) with a simultaneous reduction in the proportion of people with bands in one or two sites (X2 = 105, df = 4, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Bands are common at the back of the mouth in mild cases of oral submucous fibrosis and, as the disease increases in severity, are more likely to be found anteriorly as well.