Introduction: Oral submucous fibrosis is chronic debilitating disease of oral mucosa, associated with consumption of arecanut, causing mucosal progressive fibrosis and restricted mouth opening. The premalignant nature of OSMF is multifactorial. Trace elements such as copper and zinc are involved in various enzymatic reactions thereby acting as diagnostic and prognostic marker in oral lesions. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the salivary levels of copper and zinc in OSMF patients and to compare it with matched healthy individuals.

Material and Methods: The present case control study included 40 clinically diagnosed OSMF cases and 40 matched healthy controls of age range of 25 – 60 years. Along with questionnaire, the clinical examination was performed. The unstimulated saliva samples were collected from all participants in sterile containers and assessed for copper and zinc levels using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The obtained data was compiled and analyzed using SPSS software version 21.0.

Results: In the present study, the mean salivary levels of copper in OSMF cases and controls were 83.38 ± 4.83 μg/dL and 42.84 ± 3.38 μg/Dl respectively. The mean salivary zinc levels were 23.54 ± 3.46 μg/dL and 37.32 ± 4.82 μg/dL in OSMF cases and controls respectively. The results showed significant difference in levels of salivary copper and zinc in OSMF cases as compared to healthy controls with p value of less than 0.05.

Conclusion: The present study revealed that trace elements can be used as diagnostic and prognostic marker in oral premalignant and malignant lesions.

Keywords: Atomic absorption spectroscopy, Oral submucous fibrosis, Salivary copper, Salivary zinc, Trace elements.

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Dr Varsha Kanjani

Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, College of Dental Sciences, Davangere, India – 577004

Phone number - 91 7019961896, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.