A Preliminary Clinical Study of Lesion-Free and Lesion-Active Patients with Oral Lichen Planus and/or Oral Lichenoid Reactions

Abstract

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) which belongs to the spectrum of LP, is a commonly encountered oral mucosal problem among patients seeking treatment in the Oral Medicine clinic. Its counterpart, oral lichenoid reaction (OLR), which resembled OLP clinically and microscopically, is often encountered in these patients as well. Although the various clinical forms of OLP/OLR are well-recognized, the disease pattern in regards to lesion-active and lesion-free periods in these patients remains poorly characterized. Thus the aim of this study was to determine the clinical and demographic profile of those patients with active OLP/OLR lesions and compare them with those patients who are clinically lesion-free. Materials and methods: The study subjects comprised 20 patients who attended the Oral Medicine Clinic at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya for follow-up  appointments/management. They were interviewed according to a pre-designed questionnaire, and clinical examination was carried out. All these were conducted under the supervision of Oral Medicine specialists. OLP was diagnosed according to the internationally accepted criteria. Results: The cohort consisted of predominantly female (n=14; 70%) and Chinese (n=9; 45%) patients, with an overall age range of 26-79 years (median, 56 years). Fifteen (75%) patients presented with active OLP/OLR lesions and the remaining 5 (25%) were lesion-free. The lesion-active group comprised 3 (15%) males and 12 (60%) females whereas the lesion-free had 3 (15%) males and 2 (10%) females. Reticular LP was the most common type (n=21/35; 60%) and the gingiva was the most prevalent site (n=21/46; 45.65%). Social habits, medical histories and medications were not significantly different between lesion-active and lesion-free OLP patients. Conclusions: Findings suggest that demographic parameters, lifestyle and systemic diseases do not appear to influence the disease pattern and lesion severity in OLP.