Comparing efficacy of curcumin with other treatment modalities in oral submucous fibrosis management - A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Oral Submucous Fibrosis, OSF is an inflammatory mucosal disorder prevalent in areca nut chewing belts of the world. Although various treatments are available for its management, none provide complete resolution.Curcumin, an indigenous product, improves burning sensation, mouth opening along with other clinical signs of OSF and is potentially viable therapeutic option for its management.

Objectives

To assess the available evidence for employing curcumin in improving symptoms in patients with OSF.

Methods

Systematic search was carried out in e-databases from January 2010 until July 2023 to identify relevant clinical trials comparing curcumin to active and/or nonactive controls (placebo) for the management of OSF.

Results

A total of 20 studies were used for qualitative analysis out of which 11 studies were considered for quantitative synthesis.Curcumin was found to be highly effective in alleviating pain/burning sensation, improving mouth opening (MO), cheek flexibility, tongue protrusion and induces positive histological changes in patients with OSF.The standardized mean difference in mouth opening between both the Curcumin and Multivitamin group showed a statistically significant difference favouring the Curcumin group (SMD, 0.37, 95% CI = 0.18–0.56, p - 0.0001, I²- 0%).

Conclusion

Statistically curcumin was noted to be as effective as Aloe vera, lycopene and steroids in relieving symptoms of OSF in stages 1 and 2 and improving MO. It is seen to improve histopathological picture of lesions thereby suggesting its active role in preventing malignant transformation. Its found to be more effective than multivitamins in improving mouth opening of patients in OSF.