Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder that can affect any part of the oral cavity. It mainly affects young adults in South Asia. This condition's frequency of malignant transformation is reported as 7.6% in India. The main etiological factor is the areca nut chewing habit, which releases alkaloids that cause serious complications both pathologically and clinically. The pathological complication includes excessive collagen production, which constricts the blood vessels and atrophies the epithelium. Clinical complications include burning sensation, reduced mouth opening, limited tongue protrusion, mucosal blanching, dry mouth, pain, and uvula deviation or constriction. 

Although clinical examination and histopathology are the current gold standards for diagnosing OSMF, only a few markers, such as TGF- (a cytokine), are expressed in OSMF patients' tissue and saliva. The mainstay of treatment involves cessation of habit, symptomatic treatment, and oral cancer surveillance. Several medicinal interventions have been tried, like antioxidants, vasodilators, steroids, and hyaluronidase, but none showed a complete cure.

The objective of this Methods Collection is to share articles highlighting clinical findings, different diagnostic approaches like chair-side investigational tools, biochemical and anti-oxidant markers, molecular markers, optical methods; molecular pathology including the roles of cytokines, reactive oxygen species, collagen-related genes; the rate of malignant transformation and treatment modalities including medicinal, surgical and physiotherapeutic interventions of this neglected yet significant oral disorder.