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Review
. 2024 Apr 3;14(4):386.
doi: 10.3390/jpm14040386.

Role of Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in the Development and Progression of Oral Lichen Planus

Alessandro Lavoro  1 , Giovanni Cultrera  1 , Giuseppe Gattuso  1 , Cinzia Lombardo  1 , Luca Falzone  1 , Candido Saverio  1   2 , Massimo Libra  1   2 , Mario Salmeri  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Role of Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in the Development and Progression of Oral Lichen Planus

Alessandro Lavoro et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the oral cavity with malignant potential affecting 1.01% of the worldwide population. The clinical patterns of this oral disorder, characterized by relapses and remissions of the lesions, appear on buccal, lingual, gingival, and labial mucosa causing a significant reduction in the quality of life. Currently, there are no specific treatments for this disease, and the available therapies with topical and systemic corticosteroids only reduce symptoms. Although the etiopathogenesis of this pathological condition has not been completely understood yet, several exogenous and endogenous risk factors have been proposed over the years. The present review article summarized the underlying mechanisms of action involved in the onset of OLP and the most well-known triggering factors. According to the current data, oral microbiota dysbiosis could represent a potential diagnostic biomarker for OLP. However, further studies should be undertaken to validate their use in clinical practice, as well as to provide a better understanding of mechanisms of action and develop novel effective intervention strategies against OLP.

Keywords: autoimmune disease; biomarker; inflammation; oral cavity; oral diseases; oral dysbiosis; oral lichen planus; oral microbiota; squamous-cell carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The oral microbiota community and its localization in the oral cavity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Oral diseases related to the imbalance of oral microbiota.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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