title: Oral submucous fibrosis: a historical perspective and a review on etiology and pathogenesis.
abstract: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic, insidious disease characterized by progressive submucosal fibrosis of the oral cavity and the oropharynx. People affected by this disease mostly live in south Asia, but migrants from these countries to the United States and Europe may present with OSF. We provide a historical background of the disease, and the objective of this review is to update the current knowledge on the etiology and etiopathogenesis of OSF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Wanninayake Mudiyanselage
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Tilakaratne
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Rasika Priyadharshani
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ekanayaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, King's College, London, United Kingdom; and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: S.warne@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Warnakulasuriya
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D001114:Areca / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D009914:Oral Submucous Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*