mangaluru oral submucous fibrosis osmf a disease associated with consumption of arecanut remains a lesser known health hazard compared to alcohol and drugs in order to create awareness on the disease a group of students of manipal academy of higher education mahe have developed a web app called areca nut osmf awareness app wwwdentaplusinclose to 10 of the indian population consumes some form of areca nut on a regular basis but many are unaware of its harmful effects karnataka is the largest producer of areca nut in the country and about 16 of the population consume areca nut consumption of areca nut causes osmf some of the symptoms of which include a burning sensation in the mouth discomfort and difficulty in opening ones mouth it can also cause oral cancer in the long run mahe students notedgroup members dr priyanka prasad alumni mcods viola dsouza phd scholar psph manipal soural dandothi alumni mit dr gopal kasat alumni mcods and dr shriya verma alumni mcods have launched a comprehensive web app that educates and creates awareness on osmf it was launched on september 1viola dsouza said that app also looks to engage its audience to improve their knowledge on the diagnosis symptoms as well as their treatment options at each stage of osmf an individual with osmf is able to know at which stage of the disease he is in and what are the options available for treatment awareness on the illeffects of areca nut consumption is limited there are no health promotion events or awareness drives about the same however the disease is preventable stresses viola explaining why they came up with the apppriyanka prasad a dental student points out that she came across several osmf patients and decided to educate the community as dental students we encounter many patients who came to the clinic with complaints of stained teeth toothache and burning sensation in their mouth the culprit is high areca nut consumption and individuals unaware of the potential health risks the app aims to improve awareness and educate the community about osmfthe team have been working on the app for about six months to make it engaging and provide inclusive information about the condition in a way that improves healthseeking behaviour the app can also be used by dentists in their clinics as a patient education aid to create awareness amongst their patients it is currently available only in english but they are looking to roll out versions in various regional languages so that it reaches the masses