A Retrospective Study on Risk Habits Associated with the  Prevalence and Severity of Oral Submucous Fibrosis in the  Indigenous Population of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Authors

Ramya R1 , Rajkumar.K2 , Arul Mozhi3 , Harini Priya4 , Ravi5 , K.Ravi6, Swarnalakshmi.R7

Andaman, Habit control, Oral submucous fibrosis, Awareness, Quality of Life

Introduction: Very few community-based studies are centered on the native population of India and to our

best knowledge this study is the first of its kind that aims to throw light on the chewing patterns and its effect

on patients suffering from OSMF in the indigenous population of Andaman and Nicobar. This study aims

to correlate between tobacco associated adverse habits and prevalence & severity of OSMF in indigenous

population of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Material and Method: The study was conducted in Port Blair, Andaman in June 2014.The study population

consisted of 500 residents of age 22-84 years with known tobacco usage who were screened clinically.

Results & Discussion: Nearly 144 patients were diagnosed clinically with OSMF. Thus, a prevalence rate

of 28.8%, which was comparatively higher to previous tribal studies in central India. This study is novel to

the Andaman Islands and served as a potential tool to educate the natives on the tobacco consumption habits.