A scoring system for the early detection of oral submucous fibrosis based on a self-administered questionnaire.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of the present study were to evaluate the frequent clinical complaints of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) and to develop a scoring system for early detection of the disease by a self-administered questionnaire.


METHODS
A total of 296 subjects were recruited, including 123 OSF patients without oral cancer and 173 betel quid chewers without OSF or oral cancer. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the symptom profile from study subjects. Their maximal mouth opening (MMO) between upper and lower incisor edges was measured and recorded by well-trained nurses. A binary logistic regression model examining the likelihood of OSF based on the eight symptoms of interest was used to develop the scoring system.


RESULTS
Among 79 OSF subjects with an MMO < 35 mm, the most frequent complaint was trismus (87.3%), followed by burning sensation (76.0%) and xerostomia (72.2%). Among 44 OSF subjects with an MMO > or = 35 mm, burning sensation (68.2%) was the most frequent complaint, followed by trismus (54.5%) and xerostomia (54.5%). Six frequent complaints including trismus, burning sensation, xerostomia, sore throat, numbness, and oral ulceration were utilized to develop a scoring system for the early detection of OSF. The scoring system had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.90.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests a screening questionnaire of frequent complaints for the early detection of OSF.
Chiu
Chung-Jung
CJ
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei.
Lee
Wen-Chung
WC
Chiang
Chun-Pin
CP
Hahn
Liang-Jiunn
LJ
Kuo
Ying-Shiung
YS
Chen
Chien-Jen
CJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001114:Areca; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000175:diagnosis; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D009914:Oral Submucous Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D014313:Trismus / Q000175:diagnosis; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000175:diagnosis