Paediatric oral submucous fibrosis – The neglected pre-malignancy of childhood

Oral submucous fibrosis in children is one of the devastating consequences of arecanut addiction in children. Arecanut is the fourth commonest psychoactive agents used worldwide. However, regrettably, unlike other addictions like tobacco and alcohol, its use in children has become socially acceptable atleast in a few countries. Consequently, children as young as two years have been noticed to be addicted to arecanuts. It has been a menace in most Asian countries and with increasing population migration, this has picked up even in the west. In order to understand the social factors leading to arecanut addiction in children and prognostic outcomes of paediatric oral submucous fibrosis, this review has been undertaken.