Comparative study of the efficacy of herbal antioxidants oxitard and aloe vera in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis

Abstract

Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder predominantly seen in the Indian subcontinent due to areca nut, tobacco and their products. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of oxitard and aloe vera in the management of OSMF. Material and Methods: 120 subjects with OSMF were included in the study. The patients were clinico-pathologically diagnosed and divided equally in 2 groups, Group A (oxitard group) and Group B (aloe vera group). Group A was administered 2 oxitard capsules twice daily and Group B was given 5 mg aloe vera gel to be applied topically thrice daily for 3 months. Different clinical parameters were evaluated at regular intervals. Data was analyzed using the Student’s paired t test and Chi-square test. P-value <0.001 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Clinical improvements in mouth opening and tongue protrusion was significant in the oxitard group (p=0.0005). Subjective symptoms of pain associated with the lesion (p=0.0003), difficulty in swallowing (p=0.0000) and speech (p=0.0001) also significantly improved in the Group A. The improvement in burning sensation was not statistically significant between the 2 groups (p=0.002). There was a mild to moderate decrease in the size of the lesion. Conclusions: Though there is no definitive treatment for the condition however, overall assessment of symptoms like mouth opening, tongue protrusion, difficulty in swallowing and speech and pain associated with the lesion showed that oxitard capsules can bring about significant clinical improvements than aloe vera gel in the treatment of OSMF. Key words:Oral submucous fibrosis, oxitard capsules, aloe vera, burning sensation, mouth opening.

Evaluation of efficacy of aloe vera in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis – a clinical study

“…Aloe vera is widely used for its medicinal properties. It has been studied for the treatment of oral mucosal conditions such as mRAS , lichen planus , burning mouth syndrome , and OSMF . In all these studies, aloe vera has been used in gel form for topical application.…”

Efficacy of an herbal antioxidant as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy on procalcitonin levels in smokers with chronic periodontitis

“…After 3 months, there was a significant improvement in mouth opening as well as the clinical symptoms in the Oxitard group when compared to the A. vera group. [19]…”

Medical management of oral submucous fibrosis

“…[4] Turmeric, immunomodulatory drug levamisole, vasodilator pentoxyfilline, placental extract, interferon gamma, spirulina, colchicine, herbal antioxidants oxitard and Aloe vera are also promising in the management of this chronic disease. [12567] Antioxidant property of spirulina is attributed to high amount of beta carotene and superoxide dismutase. Colchicine has antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties.…”