KARACHI: A team of house officers of the Ziauddin Dental College (ZDC) arranged a programme to create awareness about Oral Submucous fibrosis (OSMF), mostly caused by the habit of chewing tobacco and betel nut, among the residents of Sikandarabad and Shireen Jinnah Colony, Karachi.
The aim of the exercise conducted by the team, comprising ZDC house officers Dr Ali Mustafa, Dr Zarmeen Intesara, Dr Tafseer Fatima, Dr Dua Tariq and Dr Mahlaqa Maroof, was to warn the people of the adverse effects of chewing tobacco, betel nut, areca nut and gutka on the oral cavity and ultimately on the overall health of those getting addicted to these harmful items.
The ZDC team evaluated around 50-100 people for OSMF and provided them useful information regarding the harmful impact of their habit of chewing tobacco. They were also given toothpastes by Colgate for better oral hygiene.
The team also guided people about the nutrition that can help reduce the risk of OSMF.
The habit of chewing sweetened and artificially-coloured areca nuts is especially popular among the youth due to its addictive nature. Owing to its sweet and addictive taste, these items are termed ‘sweet poison’ by the dental professionals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also considers sweetened and coloured areca nuts as a potential carcinogen.
OSMF is a chronic, precancerous condition characterised by inflammatory reaction inside oral mucosa. These alterations cause fibrosis and stiffness of oral mucosa leading to limited mouth opening and related problems.
OSMF is one of the commonest, potentially malignant, disorders amongst the Asian population.
Arecoline, an enzyme found in the areca nut is found to be the commonest cause of OSMF that has a high prevalence in Southeast Asia due to use of tobacco and areca nut.-PR
