Lichen planus orale e lesioni lichenoidi. Una guida per l’odontoiatra = Oral lichen planus and lichenoid lesions. A guide for the dentist

Objectives To provide dentists with up-to-date information on the management of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). Materials and methods We reviewed clinically relevant papers retrieved via a search of PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Results OLP is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, which is characterized by bilateral, symmetrically distributed, reticular lesions involving the oral mucosa (although other clinical variants are frequently observed). Patients may be asymptomatic or complain of a burning sensation of variable intensity. The diagnosis is based on clinical and histological data. Because of the chronic nature of the disease, topical immunosuppressive drug therapy is indicated when there are symptomatic or ulcerated lesions. Periodic reassessment is useful because of OLP is potentially malignant.