Oral submucous fibrosis is virtually unknown in the western world, but is frequently seen in south-east Asia, particularly in the Indian subcontinent. In this paper a case of the disease in a Pakistani woman is presented. Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic, premalignant disorder that is clinically characterised by blanching and a progressive stiffness of the oral soft tissues, resulting in trismus. There is strong evidence that habitually chewing on areca nuts is associated with the occurrence of oral submucous fibrosis. Since approximately 20,000 people from Indian and Pakistani descent are currently living in the Netherlands, the dentist ca be confronted with this disease in his daily practice and should be able to recognize it.