Association Between Oral Lichen Planus and Thyroid Disease

Association Between Oral Lichen Planus and Thyroid Disease: A Cross-sectional Study

The goal of this observational study is to determine the prevalence of thyroid disease in adults with oral lichen planus (OLP) treated at the Dental Hospital of the University of Barcelona (HOUB), and to evaluate the association between OLP and thyroid disease. Secondly, to assess the association between OLP and other comorbidities, including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, dyslipidemia, anxiety, and depression.

The main question it aims to answer is: Do people with OLP have a significant risk of developing thyroid disorders compared to people without OLP?

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate a total of 120 participants, 60 patients with oral lichen planus and 60 patients without the history of OLP as a control group, attending at the Dental Hospital of the University of Barcelona (HOUB). The personal medical history of thyroid disease, demographic information (age and gender) and other comorbidities history information, were collected in both groups, and obtained through the GESDEN® healthcare software (Gesden G5, Infomed - Henry Schein®, New York, United States), in addition to the paper medical records (biopsy report). Data were analyzed using χ² test and simple binary logistic regression models with the SPSS® statistical software, version 29.0.2.0 for Windows (SPSS, Illinois, United States).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients over 18 years of age.
• For the case group: patients with OLP clinically and histologically diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.
• For the control group: patients without OLP lesions, who came to the HOUB for the treatment of other oral pathologies, and who also do not have a history of clinically and histologically diagnosed OLP.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients under 18 years of age.
• Patients with lichenoid lesions induced by drug reactions or by contact with restorative materials such as amalgam.
• Patients with complicated or uncontrolled systemic diseases.
• Patients with other autoimmune diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, celiac disease, vitiligo, diabetes mellitus type 1).
• Pregnant patients.