Malondialdehyde levels in oral sub mucous fibrosis: a clinicopathological and biochemical study.

BACKGROUND

Oral submucous fibrosis is one of the most commonly occurring potentially malignant disorders in the South-East Asia. Levels of lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde have been recently correlated with clinical grades of oral Submucous fibrosis.

AIMS

The aims of this study were to estimate the levels of malondialdehyde in serum, saliva and tissue in patients with oral submucous fibrosis, to correlate change in levels of malodialdehyde with the histopathological grading.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study group comprised of 65 clinically diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed cases of oral submucous fibrosis, 21 age and sex matched controls were also enrolled into the study. The serum saliva and tissue samples in the study groups were evaluated by the thiobarbutric acid reactive substances.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference between the serum and salivary malondialdehyde among the histopathological grades of oral submucous fibrosis. Tissue malonaldehyde levels were significantly higher as the grading progressed but tissue levels in grade 3 oral submucous fibrosis were lower than the controls.

CONCLUSION

This decrease in tissue malonaldehyde could possibly be associated to collagen cross linking occurring during the advanced stages of oral submucous fibrosis.