Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2024 Sep 23;16(9):e70028.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.70028. eCollection 2024 Sep.

Optimizing the Synergistic Role of Diode Laser and Drug Therapies in the Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Case Report

Siddhartha Varma  1 , Mugdha V Karambelkar  1 , Girish Suragimath  1 , Chandrashekar Yavagal  2 , Sachin B Mangalekar  3 , Sameer A Zope  1 , Rashmi Gangavati  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Optimizing the Synergistic Role of Diode Laser and Drug Therapies in the Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Case Report

Siddhartha Varma et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is one of the most common precancerous conditions of the oral mucosa involving any part of the oral cavity resulting in tissue scarring, dysphagia, and trismus. Habits of chewing areca nut, tobacco, and pan masala and smoking have revealed a strong association with the occurrence of OSMF. Due to its high morbidity and high malignant transformation rate (MTR), continuous efforts have been made to develop effective treatment options. Based on the stage of the disease, various treatment modalities such as medical and surgical therapies are available, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is an emerging minimally invasive therapy that can be utilized to treat OSMF through its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. With the advent of dual-wavelength diode lasers, the current case report focuses on a novel treatment strategy for managing OSMF in combination with pharmacological and oral physiotherapy to achieve optimal results.

Keywords: areca nut; diode laser therapy; osmf; pbm; smokeless tobacco(st).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Pale buccal mucosa and palate with fibrous bands involving borders of the tongue
Figure 2
Figure 2. Preoperative inter-incisor distance of 16 mm
Figure 3
Figure 3. Photobiomodulation in scanning motion with a diode laser (NovoLase Gold 810+640 nm)
Figure 4
Figure 4. Superficial excision of fibrous bands with a diode laser (NovoLase Gold 810 nm)
Figure 5
Figure 5. Postoperative inter-incisor distance of 24 mm
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Areca nut-induced oral fibrosis - reassessing the biology of oral submucous fibrosis. Sharma M, Sarode SC, Sarode G, Radhakrishnan R. J Oral Biosci. 2024;66:320–328. - PubMed
    1. Oral submucous fibrosis. Pindborg JJ, Sirsat SM. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1966;22:764–779. - PubMed
    1. Increased severity of oral submucous fibrosis in young Pakistani men. Merchant AT, Haider SM, Fikree FF. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1997;35:284–287. - PubMed
    1. Malignant transformation rate of oral submucous fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Murthy V, Mylonas P, Carey B, et al. J Clin Med. 2022;11:1793. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Oral submucous fibrosis: a contemporary narrative review with a proposed inter-professional approach for an early diagnosis and clinical management. Rao NR, Villa A, More CB, Jayasinghe RD, Kerr AR, Johnson NW. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;49:3. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources