Two wound-covering materials in the surgical treatment of oral submucous fibrosis: a clinical comparison

Introduction Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), a chronic debilitating condition of the mouth, has been treated both surgically and non-surgically, but non-surgical methods yield inconsistent results. The surgical methods essentially comprise of bilateral sectioning of fibrous bands with or without coronoidectomy followed by covering of the surgical defect with a graft or a wound dressing material such as collagen sheet. Materials and Methods This study comprised 30 clinically diagnosed cases of OSMF. This study compared transposition of buccal pad fat graft with collagen sheet to cover the defect within the following parameters: pain, swelling, mouth opening, color of mucosa, palpability of fibrous bands, and suppleness of mucosa. Results We found significant difference in the postoperative mouth opening, an insignificant difference for post surgical morbidity and higher grades of surgical convenience in using collagen sheet as a wound dressing material. Conclusion Collagen membrane is a superior method compared to transposition of the buccal pad of fat as a graft to cover the surgical wound in the treatment of OSMF of grade III and above.