Histopathological features of oral lichen planus and its response to corticosteroid therapy: A retrospective study

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

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.

Bidirectional Association between Lichen Planus and Hepatitis C-An Update Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic, inflammatory mucocutaneous disorder associated with systemic diseases such as hepatitis C (HCV). The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between LP and HCV bidirectionally through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A comprehensive search of studies published was performed in the databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Out of 18,491 articles, 192 studies were included. The global prevalence of HCV positive (HCV+) in LP patients registered from 143 studies was 9.42% [95% confidence interval (CI), 7.27-11.58%], and from these, 84 studies showed HCV+ 4-fold more frequent in LP than a control group (OR, 4.48; 95% CI, 3.48-5.77). The global prevalence of LP in patients HCV+ recorded from 49 studies was 7.05% (95% CI, 4.85-9.26%), and from these, 15 registered a 3-fold more LP in HCV (OR, 3.65; 95% CI, 2.14-6.24). HCV+ in LP patients showed great geographic variability (OR, 2.7 to 8.57), and the predominantly cutaneous location was higher (OR, 5.95) than the oral location (OR, 3.49). LP in HCV+ patients was more frequent in the Eastern Mediterranean (OR, 5.51; 95% CI, 1.40-15.57). There is a higher prevalence of HCV+ in LP and vice versa than in the control group, especially in certain geographical areas that should be taken into consideration when doing screening in countries with an upper prevalence of HCV among the general population.

Histopathology of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions: An exploratory cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To better characterize the histopathology of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions and to highlight the differences between them in order to support the clinician in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of such conditions.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Fifty-five patients, clinically diagnosed with oral lichen planus (n = 25) or oral lichenoid lesions (n = 30), were consecutively enrolled in the present study. Subsequently, one blind pathologist reviewed all the biopsy specimens of enrolled subjects following a specific protocol to provide a detailed histopathological description. Demographic, anamnestic, and clinical data were also recorded from all the participants. Patients' data were analysed and compared using the chi-squared test, to provide distinguishing features between the studied conditions.

RESULTS

We found a higher and statistically significant number of eosinophils in the oral lichenoid lesions compared with the oral lichen planus group (p < 0.01), an equally promising result was seen regarding plasma cells, which were more represented (p = 0.05) in the oral lichenoid lesions than in the oral lichen planus cases. No statistically significant differences were detected in demographic, anamnestic and clinical data.

CONCLUSION

A mixed lichenoid inflammatory infiltrate, consisting of eosinophils and plasma cells, could be used as reliable histological features for the diagnosis of oral lichenoid lesions, as long as compared with findings obtained from the patients' history and clinical examination.

Oral Lichen Planus: Associations Between Histomorphometric Characteristics and White and Red Lesions

Histomorphometry seems to provide more rigid quantitative elements for histological analysis and to bring less subjectivity to the diagnosis of oral lichen planus lesions (OLP). This study aimed to verify the association between white and red lesions and histomorphometric characteristics of OLP lesions. This retrospective cross-sectional study assessed 48 hematoxylin- and eosin-stained histological sections from incisional biopsies obtained from OLP cases. A single previously calibrated evaluator performed the light microscopy analyses to evaluate morphological and morphometric parameters. Analyses of associations among variables were performed using the Fisher's exact test. Morphometric variables were assessed using the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test. Comparisons among the three groups (age range) were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. In this study, 81.2% of the participants were women aged < 50 years. Keratosis, acanthosis, and inflammatory infiltrates were noted in 10.4, 10.4, and 37.5% of moderate/severe cases, respectively. Inflammatory infiltrate (52.1%), papillary projections (54.2%), saw teeth (12.5%), basal layer degeneration (39.6%), and Civatte bodies (68.8%) were also observed. There was no significant association between lesion type and clinicopathological variables (p > 0.05) or between lesion type and histological (p > 0.05) and morphometric variables (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the morphometric variables analyzed did not differ between white and red lesions (p > 0.05) or in their associations with clinicopathological variables (p > 0.05). The results of this investigation showed no associations between white and red OLP lesions and the histomorphometric characteristics evaluated.