Assessing the Quality of Life in Patients with Oral Submucous Fibrosis-A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a serious, chronic condition of the oral cavity that has the potential to become malignant and is caused using areca nut products. Patients experience limited mouth opening, ulcerations, and a burning sensation, which significantly compromises their quality of life (QoL). Objective: Utilizing the oral health-related QoL-oral submucous fibrosis (OHRQoL-OSF) questionnaire, the study’s primary objective was to evaluate the QoL of OSMF patients. Methods: A total of 250 clinically diagnosed cases of OSMF were recruited and subjected to the condition-specific OHRQoL-OSF questionnaire. The variations in the OHRQoL-OSF subscales and total scores across various stages of OSMF were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test. Results: Out of 250 participants, 208 were males, and 42 were females, with a mean age of 35.07 ± 12.67 years. The overall OHRQoL-OSF scores range from 0 to 48, with a mean score of 24.20 ± 13.31. Among the four subscales, dysfunction, and functional impairment (18.41 ± 3.99) were reported to be highly affected aspects, followed by psychological wellness (9.20 ± 2.50), physical wellness (4.56 ± 1.39), and social wellness (4.22 ± 1.70). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that an increase in the severity of OSMF is associated with the worsening of QoL. The OHRQoL-OSF tool can help clinicians understand patients’ perspectives on the impact of OSMF on various aspects of their lives.