A Scoring System for the Early Detection of Oral Submucous Fibrosis Based on a Self‐administered Questionnaire

Objectives: 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 c35 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 235 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. Conclusion: This study suggests a screening questionnaire of frequent complaints for the early detection of OSF.