Role of hemoglobin and serum iron in oral submucous fibrosis: a clinical study.

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic, insidious oral mucosal condition affecting the most parts of the oral cavity with high malignant transformation rate triggered by areca nut chewing, nutritional deficiencies, immunologic processes, and genetic predisposition. OSF causes significant hematological abnormalities resulting in anemia and a decrease in serum iron levels.

Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the hemoglobin and serum iron levels among patients with oral submucous fibrosis and to compare the values with healthy subjects.