Rajendran R, Raju G K, Nair S M, Balasubramanian G
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Medical College, Trivandrum, India.
Bull World Health Organ. 1992;70(6):783-9.
Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a crippling disorder which is confined almost exclusively to the Indian subcontinent. Despite its association with a significantly increased risk of cancer, the etiology is still not clear. An epidemiological assessment showed 0.4% prevalence for OSMF in Kerala, South India, which is among the highest recorded. Recently the National Tumour Registry in Trivandrum reported the highest recorded site-specific incidence rate for oral cancer (ICD 140-145) in this area. The coastal belt of the Trivandrum and Quilon districts of Kerala has a very high natural radioactivity (over 1500 mR (387 microC) per year); about 500 mR (129 microC) per year is considered to be the maximum permissible dose for populations in general. An epidemiological survey in this area and in a comparable population (without exposure to high background radiation) as a control showed that the percentage prevalence of OSMF in the study area was 0.27 and in the control area 0.32. It appears highly improbable that the OSMF in the study area was induced by high background radiation.
口腔黏膜下纤维化（OSMF）是一种致残性疾病，几乎仅见于印度次大陆。尽管其与癌症风险显著增加相关，但其病因仍不明确。一项流行病学评估显示，印度南部喀拉拉邦的OSMF患病率为0.4%，这是有记录以来的最高患病率之一。最近，特里凡得琅的国家肿瘤登记处报告了该地区口腔癌（国际疾病分类140 - 145）有记录以来最高的部位特异性发病率。喀拉拉邦特里凡得琅和奎隆地区的沿海地带具有非常高的天然放射性（每年超过1500毫伦琴（387微库仑））；一般人群的最大允许剂量约为每年500毫伦琴（129微库仑）。在该地区以及作为对照的可比人群（未暴露于高本底辐射）中进行的一项流行病学调查显示，研究区域内OSMF的患病率为0.27%，对照区域为0.32%。研究区域内的OSMF由高本底辐射诱发的可能性似乎极小。
