Oral submucous fibrosis: Clinical and histopathological correlation of collagen fibers using Masson's trichrome and Van Gieson stains

Background: Oral sub mucous fibrosis (OSMF) is chronic insidious diseases of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx with unknown etiology. It is characterized by mucosal rigidity. The proposed etiological factor for causing OSMF areca nut. Areca nut and arecoline cause fibroblast proliferation and collagen production. Aim and Objectives: Correlate the clinical and histopathological grading using Masson's trichrome and Van Gieson's stain in OSMF. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with clinically proven cases of OSMF and grouped according to their mouth opening. Incisional biopsy was done. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological conformation. Selected cases were sectioned and stained with Masson's trichrome and Van Gieson special stain and graded histopathologically. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 version. Pearson's correlation coefficient and Chi-square test were done to find out the association between variables. Student's t -test was used to find clinical and histopathological correlation. Results: The mean age of OSMF patients was 20–40 years and when compared with gender males were affected more than females. The stains between Masson's trichrome with Van Gieson's stain showed significant correlation, but when compared between clinical and histopathological grading there was no statistically significant. Conclusion: Clinical staging and histopathological grading in OSMF there is no correlation when using special stains such as Masson's trichrome and Van Gieson's stain.