Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a well-recognized potentially malignant disease of oral mucosa whose exact pathogenetic mechanisms have not been understood. Measurement of copper and zinc levels in the tissue and serum of these patients may be helpful in understanding the pathogenesis. Therefore, a study was undertaken to analyze the levels of these trace elements in the populations of the coastal region of south Karnataka and north Kerala, India, who show predominant use of areca nut due to their cultural and social backgrounds.

A case-control study was conducted on 20 cases of OSMF and 20 controls. The tissue and serum concentrations of copper and zinc in these 40 subjects were measured by colorimetry.

The mean tissue copper level in OSMF group was 4.31 ± 1.13 μg/gm, while the tissue zinc level was 25.18 ± 4.92 μg/gm. The mean serum copper level in the OSMF group was 1.00 ± 0.20 μg/ml while the mean serum zinc level was 0.92 ± 0.18 μg/ml.

The tissue copper levels in OSMF group showed very highly significant difference (p = 0.001) from the controls while the difference in tissue zinc levels was highly significant (p = 0.009). The serum levels of copper (p = 0.35) and zinc (p = 0.08) did not exhibit any statistical difference from those of the control group. These findings indicate that the trace elements, copper and zinc, within the oral mucosa definitely, have a role to play in the pathogenetic mechanisms of OSMF.