Oral Submucous Fibrosis Association with Sociodemographic and Personal Habits of Dental Patients Visiting Tertiary Care Hospital in Hyderabad

Introduction: Sociodemographic and personal habits are variable among patients with oral submucous fibrosis and are important to know to see the pattern of these factors in oral submucous fibrosis in local population. Aims & Objectives: The present study aims to examine and associate the sociodemographic and personal habits of patients with oral submucous fibrosis. Place and Duration of Study: The Isra dental college, Isra University, Pakistan, from 1st July 2023 to 1st February 2024. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 148 patients with clinically confirmed oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) of any age or gender, after taking written informed consent using convenience sampling. Clinical examination was done to palpate fibrous bands and a vernier caliper was used to measure the mouth opening. A standardized questionnaire with information on socio-demographics and personal habits was utilized to gather the data. SPSS version-22 was used to analyze the data. Results: More than half of the patients with oral submucous fibrosis were males 60.1% followed by 39.9% females. About 36.5 % of the patients had no formal education, while 32.4% had primary education, 22.3% were matric and 9% were intermediate and above education. 55 patients (37.2%) had no work followed by 45 patients (30.4%) having private job, 36 patients (24.3%) were laborers, and 12 patients (8%) were having government job and own businesses. OSF was seen more in illiterate people which was associated with betal nut and gutka chewing habits (P –value was <0.001) and 11 patients were having more than one habits. Conclusion: This study indicates that among various sociodemographic and personal habits of patients with oral submucous fibrosis, illiteracy came to be significant factor associated with betal nut and gutka consumption.