Human Papillomavirus in Oral Lichen Planus of Japanese Patients

Correlation between Oral Lichen Planus and Viral Infections Other Than HCV: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

This review aimed to evaluate the correlation between viral infections (HPV, EBV, HSV-1, CMV) other than HCV and oral lichen planus to assess if there is sufficient evidence to establish if these viruses can play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed the literature using different search engines (PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library), employing MeSH terms such as "oral lichen planus" and "OLP" in conjunction with other terms. We utilized the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study design (PICOS) method to define our study eligibility criteria.

RESULTS

A total of 43 articles of the 1219 results initially screened were included in the study. We allocated the 43 selected items into four groups, according to each related virus: HPV, EBV, HSV-1, and CMV.

CONCLUSIONS

Heterogeneous results neither confirm nor exclude a direct correlation between the investigated viral infections and oral lichen planus etiopathogenesis and its feasible malignant transformation. Many viral agents can cause oral lesions and act as cancerizing agents. Future studies could be desirable to produce comparable statistical analyses and enhance the quantity and quality of the outcomes to promote the translation of research into clinical practice.

PCR-based evaluation of human papillomavirus genotypes in oral lichen planus

Objective:

The objective of the study was to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to examine and compare the genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oral lichen planus (OLP).

Materials and Methods:

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from 20 OLP biopsy specimens. Conventional PCR assay employing consensus HPV primers was used to identify HPV DNA. Positive PCR samples were then subjected to PCR assay with HPV type-specific primers.

Results:

Out of the total 20 OLP specimens evaluated, eight samples (40%) were positive for HPV. Females had a 41.7% higher HPV-positive rate than males. The most common type in the HPV type-specific PCR assay was HPV-18 (75%), which is a high-risk type of HPV linked to malignant diseases. The erosive kind of OLP had the greatest percentage of HPV positives (50%).

Conclusion:

The present study confirms the detection of HPV in OLP lesions, as determined by PCR-coupled HPV gene sequencing, as well as its likely mechanism of malignant transformation.

Detection of Human Papillomavirus 33 in Erosive Oral Lichen Planus

Background: A correlation is suggested between oral lichen planus (OLP) and the human papillomavirus (HPV) with possible malignant transformation potential in OLP. Objectives: The present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of HPV-16 and HPV-18 as the most recognized oncogenic subtypes and relatively recently introduced subtype HPV33 in OLP samples. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on 32 OLP samples (consisting of 12 reticular and 20 erosive forms) and 20 healthy oral mucosa samples. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was undertaken to identify HPV Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA). Subsequently, the samples positive for HPV DNA underwent PCR analysis again with the specific primers. The data were analyzed statistically by Fisher’s exact test regarding the significance level of lower than 0.05. Results: Eight out of 32 OLP samples (25%) and none of the 20 normal mucosa samples (0%) exhibited HPV DNA. The presence of HPV in the OLP group was significantly higher than that in the normal mucosa (P = 0.014). Also, all the samples that exhibited HPV DNA were registered as the erosive form. Besides, one sample (3.12%) exhibited the 873-bp band, which was attributed to HPV-18, and 7 samples (21.87%) exhibited the 300-bp band, which was attributed to HPV-33. Conclusions: Based on the recent findings in the current study of the Iranian population, the presence of high-risk HPV subtypes, whether primarily or as a secondary infection, can suggest the malignant transformation potential for the studied OLP samples. The exclusive presence of these subtypes in the erosive type of this lesion and the noticeable presence of HPV-33 might reflect this issue’s importance. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the possibility of a higher proliferation rate of HPV in erosive lichen planus and identify its possible malignant transformation mechanism.