Therefore, we have hypothesised that the expression of OCT-4 and NANOG, two CSC markers, may play an important role in the malignant transformation of OSMF and conducted the present study to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of OCT-4 and NANOG in OSMF (OSMF) patients, OSCC transformed from OSMF (OSCC+OSMF) patients, and OSCC not transformed from OSMF (OSCC-OSMF) patients and to associate the expression of OCT-4 and NANOG with the demographic and clinicopathological features of OSMF, OSCC+OSMF, and OSCC-OSMF. Here, NANOG is linked to oral submucous fibrosis.