To investigate the effect of erbium laser combined with triamcinolone acetonide on oral function, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and normal mucous fibroblasts (NM-FB) in patients with oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) .

In this prospective study, 120 cases of oral submucosal fibrosis treated in our hospital from February 2017 to January 2020 were selected as the research objects. According to the principle of random grouping, the above patients were randomly divided into observational group and control group, 60 cases in each group. All patients were treated for 9 weeks. The observational group was treated with combined with triamcinolone acetonide, while the control group with triamcinolone acetonide only. The differences of pain, oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) score, treatment effect, HIF-1α, NM-FB level and inflammatory reaction between the two groups were compared.

After treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) of the two groups decreased significantly. The VAS of the observational group was significantly lower than that of the control group[ (1.21 ± 0.95) vs (2.60 ± 0.96) ] (t = 7.972, P<0.001) . The OHIP-14 score in the observational group was significantly lower than that in the control group[ (24.65 ± 1.45 vs (29.21 ± 1.33) ] (t = 17.952, P<0.001) . The total effective rate in the observational group (91.67%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (78.33%) , where there was significant difference (χ² = 4.182, P = 0.041) . The levels of HIF-1α and NM-FB in the observational group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 in the two groups were significantly decreased. The levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 in the observational group were significantly lower than those in the control group.

Erbium laser combined with triamcinolone acetonide was used in the treatment of oral submucosal fibrosis. The HIF-1α and NM-FB were significantly decreased, and the oral function was significantly improved.