Lichen sclerosus of the oral mucosa: clinicopathological features of six cases

Abstract

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease, rarely involving the mouth. There are only 20 well-documented cases of oral lichen sclerosus reported in the English-language literature. This report describes the clinicopathological features of 6 cases of oral lichen sclerosus; 5 in women. There were 12 lesions, mainly on the lips (50%) and buccal mucosa (25%). The affected areas appeared as irregular whitish patches, harder than the surrounding tissue. Half of the patients were symptomatic and presented with no associated skin and/or genital lesions. All cases were biopsied, and histopathological features were evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin and Verhoeff's stains, S-100 immunohistochemical reaction and transmission electron microscopy. Management of the oral lesions consisted of surgical excision, intralesional triamcinolone acetonide, oral colchicine, and regular follow-up. There is no effective curative treatment, but there are some options for patient management; and colchicine may be considered an additional choice.