Altered Staining Reaction of Connective Tissues in 53 Submucous Fibrosis Patients

Fifty-four oral biopsies were performed on 53 submucous fibrosis patients among 50,915 rural villagers in the Indian states of Kerala, Gujarat, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh. Histologic sections revealed a definite alteration in the tinctorial quality of the connective tissues when stained by the Rinehart and van Gieson methods. The connective tissues in submucous fibrosis patients tended to be amorphous and nonbundular, in contrast to that seen in the normal controls.