Maximum bite force, masticatory muscle thickness and activity in oral submucous fibrosis patients and healthy individuals

Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic disease of insidious onset of unknown etiology affecting the oral and oropharyngeal region characterized by progressive fibrosis of oral submucous. Since its association with oral epithelial dysplasia and cancer, OSMF is considered to be a premalignant condition. OSMF is regarded as a disease of collagen metabolic disorder showing increased collagen production along with decreased collagen degradation. It has been reported that involvement of the muscles in the fibrosis process and presented illustration showing replacement of the muscle by fibrous tissue. In a study OSMF patients showed varying degrees of muscle changes including atrophy, degeneration and necrosis of fibres. This muscle changes can be a manifestation of disease, atrophy being secondary to the limited functional activity of the muscles which is brought about by fibrosis or whether it is an essential part of the diseases process itself. Maximum bite force (MBF) is primarily related to mastication, and is a helpful marker of the functional condition of the masticatory apparatus and the stacking of the dentition.Measuring the MBF is regarded as a essential component in analyzing the functional capacity of muscles of mastication, and also to compare the activity of these muscle activity between individuals in different experimental conditions.