Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study is envisioned to appraisal the existing data pertaining to the feasibility and efficacy of intralesional platelet-rich plasma (PRP) over other existing modalities in the medical management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) through a systematic literature survey. METHODS AND MATERIALS: For this study, a comprehensive literature search was undertaken electronically Medline, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases to identify papers published until the end of December 2023 in dental, oral, and maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, and otolaryngology journals containing the terms "oral submucous fibrosis", "intralesional injections", "platelet rich plasma", "Corticosteroids", "Hyaluronidase", "Placentrix" in their titles, abstracts, and/or keywords with only English being the preferred language. The data were extracted from the included papers and carefully reviewed to extract and code the data. Descriptive data from all the carefully chosen articles were selected and analysed. RESULTS: Four studies met the inclusion criteria. The treatment outcomes in all the included studies were identical with all the studies suggesting an improvement in the subjective signs and symptoms of OSMF with intralesional injection of PRP. It was observed that PRP was more efficient than corticosteroid alone or in combination with hyaluronidase in reducing pain and burning sensation coupled with aiding in better mouth opening but less effective in improving cheek flexibility. Studies revealed that there was no adverse effects or recurrence of lesions at the side of its administration which was considered to be the major advantage of using intralesional PRP. Since PRP is obtained naturally from the patient's own blood and would be devoid of any adverse effects and is free from any immunological or allergic reactions, it can be considered superior to other drugs used for intralesional injections. Hence, intralesional injection of PRP would yield either a similar to or even better clinical outcome than that obtained with the intralesional injection of corticosteroids, placentrix, or hyaluronidase either alone or in combination. CONCLUSION: Intralesional injection of platelet-rich plasma in the management of oral submucous fibrosis is a novel method and is considered to be more efficient than intralesional injection of corticosteroids, placentrix, or hyaluronidase either alone or in combination.