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Abstract

Introduction: The major disabilities like trismus and odynophagia that occur in the patients with OSMF are well documented, but impairment of the taste sensation has not received much attention, owing to limited research work in the field. Due to scarcity of the   literature on this aspect of the disease process and influence of OSMF on taste perception, the present study intended to assess and compare the alteration in taste perception among patients with OSMF and healthy subjects.
Aim: To evaluate altered taste perception in Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) patients.
Materials and Methods: The comparative study included 70 patients, both males and females with the age range of 20 to 55 years. Four basic tastants (sweet, salty, sour, bitter) were prepared as follows: sucrose for sweet, sodium chloride for salty, citric acid for sour, and quinine sulphate for bitter and full mouth rinse test was performed. The data obtained were tabulated and analysed by the Pearson Chi-Square test; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The overall result suggested that there is significant alteration of taste. The sweet taste was altered followed by salty and bitter, sour taste was not altered in any of the patients. It also showed that there was more alteration in sweet taste with the progression of stages of OSMF.
Conclusion: The study points out at the significance of alteration in taste perception in OSMF patients by using physiological stimuli tastants.