Let's aware about potentially malignant oral lesion caused by Arecanut!!! and prevent oral cancer to some extent.

Today I am going to discuss about a very important topic, oral submucous fibrosis(OSMF), one of the commonest" potentially malignant condition" in oral mucosa,among Sri Lankans. It is most common among people living in southeast Asia.

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THE MAIN REASON IS EXTENSIVE USE OF ARECANUT IN VARIOUS FORMS.
Carcinogenic substances in areca lead to inflammation and progressive fibrosis of lamina propria, and muscle degeneration. This leads to gradual reduction of mouth opening which is a common presenting complaint in OSMF.
Though we have so many health education programs to educate the public, unfortunately majority who affected with OSMF not seek medical attention unless they have severe symptoms like burning sensation to spicy foods, restricted mouth opening in such a way they can't eat.like that. Most important thing in early detection is this condition can be reversible, curable or can observe periodically in scientific way in order to prevent cancer formation. According to researches it's said that person who is affected with OSMF has 30% more susceptibility for cancer formation compared to a normal healthy person, which is significantly higher percentage.
Let's see how you should prevent being affected and how you can identify it in early stages if you are affected.
For the prevention, you should STOP chewing various ARECANUTs. If you have used it for even a few period of time it's advisable to meet a dental surgeon and get your oral cavity examined as soon as possible. There are so many government hospitals you can obtain a service of a dental surgeon without hesitation.
CLINICAL FEATURES, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

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This includes both features you can observe yourself as well as by a clinician.

• Pale mucosa,
• Dipigmentation of lips and oral mucosa,
• Glossy, depappilated tongue,
  -Leathery feeling of oral mucosa,
• Progressively reduction of opening the mouth,
• Burning sensation to spicy foods..
• Red or white patches, ulcers in oral mucosa, maybe both red and white lesions.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD DO,

strict habit intervention is a must. Meet your dental surgeon, he or she will examine your oral cavity and give you basic knowledge about the situation and will refer you to a specialised unit, Which is oral and maxillofacial unit.

FURTHER MANAGEMENT WILL BE DONE ACCORDING TO PRESENTATION AFTER CONFIRMING BY A INCISIONAL BIOPSY.
I don't want to discuss about treatment options here. My main concern is MAKE YOU AWARE AND PREVENT the disease. I am sure all of you should have known people, your loved ones who chews betel with arecanut, who chew Babul, or another form of arecanut. YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES with awareness.
If I am to share my experience in this field around six years, we diagnose this condition age ranging 5 years to 90's. Younger the age severe the disease, that's the danger of this potentially malignant conditions. If I explain it in simple words, if you are resistant to formation of a premalignant condition more than 60 years of your age, it's obvious that your immunity is such good, so that treatment and recovery will be optimum too.. but if you get a such condition in early stages of your life, your immunity is pretty bad and there is more chance to transform that lesions in to a malignancy.
WHAT IS THE MESSAGE,
Yes, I want all of you to spread this message to your loved ones and protect them being a victim..and if you know people who chews arecanut please be kind enough to advise them to visit their dentist immediately and get their mouth examined.

LET'S PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY..SINCE IT'S 100% PREVENTABLE.
THANK YOU ALL!

Let's meet with another important message. I tried to avoid medical jargons and give the idea as simple as possible. I welcome your comments to improve my awareness articles starting today.