Oral lichen planus. Clinical aspects and management in fifty-two Brazilian patients

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the clinical profile of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and to evaluate the efficacy of topical, systemic and/or intralesional corticosteroids in the management of symptomatic cases. Fifty-two patients with OLP, 33 females and 19 males, aged from 17 to 75 years (mean 49.7 years) were studied. Information regarding the clinical forms, sites of involvement, patients' medical history and habits were recorded. Diagnosis of OLP was made using clinical criteria alone in 32 cases, while biopsy examination was required in the remaining 20. Symptomatic lesions were seen in 29 patients, who were treated with corticosteroid. Asymptomatic cases (23) were only clinically monitored. The forms of OLP found in this study were reticular (47%), atrophic (24%), erosive (21%) and plaque-like (8%). The buccal mucosa was the site predominantly affected. Systemic diseases were found in 17 patients (seven diabetic and ten with hypertension) but these data lacked statistical significance (p > 0.05) when compared with a control group of age and gender matched patients without any type of mucocutaneous disease. A habit of tobacco and/or alcohol use was reported by 11.5% of the patients, most of them with the reticular form of the disease. Topical corticosteroid therapy alone was effective in producing relief of symptoms in 18 of the 29 patients, although some relapses occurred after discontinuation. For lesions non-responsive to topical treatment, intralesional injection and/or short-term use of systemic corticosteroids were used.