Depleting levels of endogenous anti-oxidant superoxide dismutase in oral sub-mucous fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis: superoxide dismutase and oral sub-mucous fibrosis

Objective: The systematic review is aimed to assess the antioxidant status by superoxide dismutase level in oral sub-mucous fibrosis using available literature. Materials and methods: A literature search was accomplished electronically in Pubmed (MeSH), Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science core collection, Cochrane, and Cross-reference, using the keywords such as 'oral submucous fibrosis,' 'antioxidant status' and 'superoxide dismutase.' Results: Of the 352 articles identified, only 16 satisfied the selection criteria and were included in the systematic review. Among the selected, six studies were included for serum level analysis of superoxide dismutase. The assessment showed a significant reduction of serum superoxide dismutase in oral submucous fibrosis patients than in control (p < 0.004). The mean difference in serum superoxide dismutase concentration between oral submucous fibrosis and healthy subjects was −86.23 U/ml (95% CI −145.30, −27.17). The serum SOD level was significantly reduced as the disease progressed to stage I or stage II (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Conclusion: The studies showed significantly lower levels of superoxide dismutase in various human samples of patients with OSMF. Therefore, further studies are required to estimate antioxidant status using different biomarkers of oral submucous fibrosis concerning different stages of the disease in order to augment future therapy. Clinical relevance: Assessment of antioxidant activity helps to identify the patients at risk of malignant transformation. It serves as a reliable guide to validate therapy. It serves as a marker of prognosis in patients suffering from oral submucous fibrosis.