1.Assessment of pH and Copper Content among Raw and Commercial Areca Nut Products, Contributing Factor towards Oral Submucous Fibrosis
Sujatha S. Reddy ; Rizwana Azmi ; Shwetha ; V, Pavan T ; Ravleen Nagi ; Radhaprashanth ; N Rakesh
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.2):197-202
Introduction: The increased prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) in the last few years relates to the increased consumption of areca nut(AN) products. OSMF is a premalignant condition and risk to progression to oral
cancer is more when AN is chewed along with tobacco. Moreover, high copper content in AN is responsible for
fibroblast dysfunction and fibrosis. This study was conducted with aim to assess and compare pH and copper content
of raw AN and popular Indian commercial AN based (with and without tobacco) products. Method: Six samples
each of twelve different brands of AN based commercial products i.e. six without tobacco (pan masala) and with
tobacco were analyzed for pH and then the samples were dried, and powdered for estimation of the copper content.
Results: For the six raw areca nuts (sample 1-6), the pH was found to range from 3.06±1.08 to 5.04±0.81, among the
six non tobacco containing samples (sample 7-12), the pH was found to range from 6.03±1.08 to 9.09±0.81, and for
six tobacco containing samples (sample 13-18), the pH was found to range from 9.18±0.90 to 11.07±0.09. The mean
copper concentration among raw areca nut samples (sample 1-6) was 4.05±0.18 μg/g, among non-tobacco containing samples (sample 7-12) it was 10.17±1.08μg/g and among tobacco samples (sample 13-18),it was 18.09±1.08
μg/g (p<0.001). Conclusion: High copper content present in quid and commercial AN may be a causative factor for
an increased fibrosis in OSMF, our findings need evaluation by further research and standardization.