Aloe vera can be an alternative, safe, and effective treatment regime in the management of oral submucous fibrosis. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Evaluation of efficacy of aloe vera in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis - a clinical study.
J Oral Pathol Med. 2016 Jun 17. Epub 2016 Jun 17. PMID: 27314762
Ardra Anuradha
BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic disease, treatment of which has largely been symptomatic. Aloe vera has immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antioxidant, and antineoplastic activities. All such properties of aloe vera suggest the possibility of its use in the management of oral submucous fibrosis.
METHODS: Seventy-four patients of oral submucous fibrosis were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group A patients were treated with systemic (juice) and topical aloe vera (gel) for 3 months. Group B patients were treated with intralesional injection of hydrocortisone and hyaluronidase for 6 weeks with antioxidant supplements for 3 months. Patients were assessed for reduction in burning sensation and increase in mouth opening, cheek flexibility, and tongue protrusion at an interval of 1, 2, and 3 months.
RESULTS: Both the groups showed statistically significant improvements in all the study parameters at the end of study period (P<0.001). The clinical response to aloe vera was comparable to that of intralesional injections of hydrocortisone and hyaluronidase with antioxidant supplementation.
CONCLUSION: The study concludes that aloe vera can be an alternative, safe, and effective treatment regime in the management of oral submucous fibrosis. Long-term follow-up studies with larger sample size are recommended.
