Omega 3: a novel treatment agent in oral submucous fibrosis: a pilot study

• Published in: Journal of oral pathology & medicine 2017-07, Vol.46 (6), p.439-442
• Main Authors: Raizada, Milanjeet Kaur, Sable, Digamber M, Chowdhery, Asha, Chavan, Mahesh Shivaji, Rajpurohit, Ladu Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anesthetics, Local - administration & dosage; Anti-inflammatory agents; Areca - adverse effects; Burning; Cheek; Dentistry; Dexamethasone; Dexamethasone - administration & dosage; Drug Therapy, Combination; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - therapeutic use; Female; Fibrosis; Glucocorticoids - administration & dosage; Humans; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase - administration & dosage; Inflammation; Injections, Intralesional; Lidocaine - administration & dosage; Male; Middle Aged; omega 3; Oral cavity; Oral Submucous Fibrosis - drug therapy; OSMF; Pain Measurement; Pilot Projects; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Single-Blind Method; Statistical analysis; Tongue; treatment; Treatment Outcome; Trismus
• ISSN: 0904-2512; 1600-0714
• DOI: 10.1111/jop.12542

Background Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic debilitating disease and a premalignant condition of the oral cavity. It is well known for its impervious nature to medical therapy. Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to have anti‐inflammatory properties. However, its role in OSF is still not known. This preliminary study assessed the efficacy of systemic omega 3 in this disease. Methods A randomized single‐blinded controlled trial was designed, and a total of 10 clinically confirmed adult patients with OSF were included in the study. Group A was given biweekly intralesional injections of dexamethasone 1.5 ml and hyaluronidase 1500 IU mixed with lignocaine for 6 weeks and a placebo for 3 months. Group B was also given similar intralesional injections but with 1 gm of omega 3 three times daily continuously for 3 months. Patients were followed every month for 3 months and then after 6 months. Results Significant improvement was noted among all clinical parameters (interincisal distance, tongue protrusion, cheek flexibility, and visual analogue scale) in both the groups. Intergroup comparison showed significant reduction in burning sensation in group B; that is, P value was 0.005, while improvement in rest of the three clinical features was not statistically significant. Conclusion Omega 3 can be used as an adjunctive treatment option in patients with OSF to reduce subjective symptoms. More studies should be conducted with a larger sample size to study the effect of omega 3 in patients with OSF.