Study on Treatment for Patients With Symptomatic Oral Lichen Planus

Analysis of Two Treatment Protocols for Patients With Oral Lichen Planus

The primary objective of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of Tacrolimus gel versus an anti-inflammatory mouthwash in an oral solution for the management of patients suffering from symptomatic OLP. The secondary objective was to analyze which one of the two treatments induced a greater risk of developing side effects.

Thirty nine patients were assigned, through a randomized design, to receive tacrolimus ointment 0.1% or a mouthwash composed of calcium hydroxide 10%, hyaluronic acid 0,3%, umbelliferone and oligomeric proanthocyanidins, or an anti-inflammatory mouthwash (mouthwash which contains calcium hydroxide, hyaluronic acid, Umbelliferone and Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins) for 3-months. At baseline (T0) and after 3 months (T1), patients were subjected to clinical and oral assessments and were evaluated for the symptoms (Numerical Pain Scale, NRS score) and signs (Thongprasom's score) of OLP. Data were calculated using T-test for the dependent variable, Wilcoxon test and Mann-Witney u test.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age ≥ 18 years;
• clinical diagnosis and histological diagnosis of OLP on the basis of WHO criteria;
• presence of symptoms related to OLP.

Exclusion Criteria:

• presence of systemic conditions that may have affected the study results;
• state of pregnancy or breastfeeding;
• histological signs of dysplasia;
• drugs inducing a lichen response (ACE-inhibitors, β-blockers, etc.);
• treatment of OLP in the six months prior to the start of the programme;
• presence of extraoral lesions (genital, skin and other)
• history of previous immunodeficiency or HIV seropositivity;
• previous allogeneic bone marrow transplantation;
• presence of systemic lupus erythematosus or other autoimmune diseases.