Clinicopathological analysis of oral lichen planus: a retrospective study

Begum, Fazulunnisa; PANDIAR, DEEPAK; Krishnan, Reshma Poothakulath

doi:10.21608/asdj.2024.326381.1558

Clinicopathological analysis of oral lichen planus: a retrospective study

Document Type : Original articles

Authors

Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

10.21608/asdj.2024.326381.1558

Abstract

Aim: Oral lichen planus (OLP), a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the mucous membranes is not contagious but can be persistent, and in some cases, may carry a risk of developing into oral cancer, requiring regular monitoring by healthcare professionals. The prevalence of OLP in the general population is approximately estimated at 1.01%. There are limited studies available on the prevalence of Oral lichen planus in the South Indian Population. This study aimed to identify the most distinctive clinicopathological features of OLP cases.
Materials and methods: Clinical information regarding patients' age, sex, site, laterality, symptoms, provisional diagnosis and the final diagnosis of the lesions were collected from the histopathological report of Oral lichen planus patients seen in a private dental college from Chennai district of Tamil Nadu (South India).
Results: In this study, 99 cases of oral lichen planus (OLP) were analyzed from 3471 histopathological records. OLP was more common in females (60%), with peak incidence at 45 years. The most frequent clinical types were reticular (64%) and erosive (14%), with the buccal mucosa (74%) as the most affected site. Common histopathological features included hyperparakeratosis (76%) and basal cell degeneration (62%). A significant correlation was found between clinically and histopathologically diagnosed OLP, and between basal cell degeneration and subepithelial inflammation. No cases of malignant transformation were reported.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this retrospective analysis of oral lichen planus demonstrated a higher prevalence in females. Histopathologically, hyperkeratosis, basal cell degeneration and subepithelial inflammation were the key features, however, there was no reported malignant transformation.

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