Comparative evaluation of diode laser fibrotomy versus intralesional dexamethasone plus hyaluronidase for moderate oral submucous fibrosis.

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) represents a chronic, progressive, potentially malignant disorder lacking consensus on optimal management strategies for moderate clinical stages. Therefore, it is of interest to compare diode laser fibrotomy (Group A) versus intralesional dexamethasone sodium phosphate plus hyaluronidase (Group B) in 30 patients with moderate (Group II-III) OSMF. Mouth opening and cheek flexibility measurements at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months revealed statistically significant intragroup improvements in both groups (p < 0.001). Intergroup analysis demonstrated significantly greater functional gains with laser fibrotomy compared to intralesional therapy (p < 0.001), highlighting superior clinical efficacy. Thus, we show OSMF management by establishing diode laser fibrotomy as a minimally invasive, highly effective treatment option for moderate disease stages.