Original article
English
Mohamed S Ingafou 1, Stephen R Porter 2, Crispian Scully 2.
1-Department of Oral Medicine Faculty of Dentistry. Garyounis University. Benghazi, Libya. 2-Department of Oral Medicine and Special Needs Dentistry, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Dental Health Care Sciences. University of London. 256 Gray’s Inn Road. London WC1X 8LD UK.
Garyounis Medical Journal Vol. 21, No.2. 2004:20-36
Abstract
Objectives: This largest ever detailed study of a UK patient group with oral lichen planus (OLP) was carried out to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of OLP in a considerably large group of affected patients for comparison of its findings with those of other populations. Materials and methods: Data available from the medical records of 690 patients referred to one group of Oral Medicine specialists between February 1974 and January 1997, subsequently found to have clinical and usually histopathological confirmatory features of OLP. Results: UK patients with OLP are typically middle- aged or elderly persons complain of variable degrees of oral discomfort and usually have bilateral lesions affecting the buccal mucosa, dorsum of tongue and/or gingivae and rarely the palate or floor of the mouth. Lesions are typically reticular, plaque-like and/or erosive, although patients often have more than one type of oral lesions simultaneously. Conclusions: A minority of patients may have lichen planus affecting other mucocutaneous regions, typically the skin of the extremities. Provided that proper history and adequate clinical examination had been carried out, majority of the cases can be diagnosed on clinical bases, however histopathological and serological studies may be necessary for diagnosis of the cases with otherwise atypical presentation. Oral lesions can last for decades with few cases of remission. Malignant transformation was recorded in 1.9% of the cases.
Keywords: Oral Lichen Planus, Clinical Study, Oral mucosal diseases, UK.
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