Pentoxifylline therapy in the management of oral submucous fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES Oral submucous fibrosis is a common premalignant condition in the Indian subcontinent and is caused by chewing areca nut and other irritants in various forms. Its medical treatment is not yet fully standardized. In this study we compared the efficacy of Pentoxifylline as compared to placebo. MATERIALS AND METHODS 75 patients suffering from oral submucous fibrosis were randomly divided into two groups A and B. Group A patients received placebo, while Group B patients received 400 mg. Pentoxifylline for a period of 7 months. Treatment outcome was evaluated on the basis of improvement in symptom and sign scores. Student's t test was applied for comparing the results. RESULTS The improvement in total (i.e. symptoms + sign) score was 25% in group A and 49.15% in group B. This difference was found to be statistically significant. (p < 0.05) CONCLUSION Treatment regimen of group B was more effective. No significant side effects were seen. A follow up study is required to assess long term outcome of this therapy.