[Oral submucous fibrosis. Review of the literature apropos of a case].

The authors report a case of oral submucous fibrosis and present a review of the literature available on this subject. Oral submucous fibrosis is rare outside South-East Asia where it affects from 0.2 to 1 p. 100 of the population. A few cases have been described among Europeans. The disease seems to be specific to the oral and upper respiratory mucosae. It is characterized by the progressive development of subepithelial fibrosis and the subsequent occurrence of leukoplakia which may undergo transformation into epidermoid carcinoma. It initially presents as a non-specific stomatitis, sometimes with vesicles and ulcerations. Very gradually thereafter the buccal mucosa becomes pale in parts, as well as thicker and fibrous, while leukoplakia develops. These lesions progress slowly and may eventually result in complete and irreducible trismus. Histologically, oral submucous fibrosis is characterized by chronic subepithelial inflammatory reaction followed by hyalinization. Subsequently, the fibrosis extends to the underlying muscles. The epithelium is diversely affected: atrophy is thought to be the first lesion to appear; secondarily, and under the influence of various irritant factors, epithelial hyperplasia, ortho- or parakeratosis of the stratum corneum, or even cellular abnormalities may develop.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)