Intralesional corticosteroids as a treatment for restricted mouth opening in oral submucous fibrosis

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology Vol. 122; no. 2; pp. 224 - 231
• Main Authors: Ekanayaka, R.P., BDS, Herath, M.P.B., BDS, Jayasinghe, R.D., BDS, MS, Sitheeque, M.A.M., BDS, FDSRCS, Amarasinghe, H., BDS, MD, Tilakaratne, W.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2016
• Subjects: Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Adult; Areca - adverse effects; Dentistry; Female; Humans; Injections, Intralesional; Male; Methylprednisolone - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Oral Submucous Fibrosis - chemically induced; Oral Submucous Fibrosis - drug therapy; Surgery; Treatment Outcome; Trismus - drug therapy; oral submucous fibrosis; intralesional corticosteroid; mouth opening
• ISSN: 2212-4403; 2212-4411
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2015.11.023

Abstract Objectives Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic debilitating disease of oral mucosa, associated with an increased risk of malignancy. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intralesional corticosteroid injections as a treatment modality for OSF. We also studied the correlation between the treatment outcome and number of individual variables. Materials and methods A total of 230 histologically confirmed OSF patients were included in the study, out of which 116 patients with a 30mm or less inter incisal mouth opening were subjected to intralesional injections of 40mg methylprednisolone at monthly intervals for six consecutive months. The effect of the treatment was assessed by evaluating the degree of improvement in mouth opening. Results All patients included in the study had a history of chewing areca nut. In paired comparison, statistically significant difference (t= -8.78, df=115, P < 0.001) was observed in mouth opening over a period of 12 months, in the patients who had corticosteroid injections. Conclusion Intralesional corticosteroid injections are one of the most widely implemented interventions for OSF at present, particularly for those patients with palpable fibrous bands. The present study provides justification for the use of corticosteroid in improving mouth opening.