Oral Lichen Planus – A Case Report with Current Trends Review of Literature

Abstract

Lichen planus (LP) is an autoimmune chronic mucocutaneous dermatosis that commonly affects skin, mucous membrane, hair follicles & nails. Skin lesions present as recurrent violaceous, keratotic pruritic patches whereas oral lichen planus presents with various pattern. Oral lesions of LP is approximately of 1- 2% of general population while 10-20% of patients demonstrate oral as well as cutaneous lesions. Females are most commonly affected with age group ranging from 40-70 years and showing prevalence rates varying from 0.5% to 2.6% of the world population. The malignant transformation potential of LP into oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is 0.3-3%. Epithelial dysplasia is considered to be a risk factor for malignant transformation into OSCC. The objective of this paper is to report a case of oral lichen planus showing features of dysplasia in a young male patient.