Prevalence of oral lichen planus among a sample of the Egyptian population

Objectives: To report on the prevalence of oral lichen planus among a sample of the Egyptian population. Study Design: 4470 Egyptian patients, aged 15-75 years, were seen at the outpatient clinic at the Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. 31.25 % of these patients were males and 68.75% were females. Oral mucosal lesions consistent with oral lichen planus (OLP) were identified both clinically and confirmed histo - logically (in atypical cases) so that the prevalence of oral lichen planus in this study is 1.43%. Results: 64 patients were diagnosed with OLP (20 males and 44 females). The average age of the affected group was 48.07 years. Associated skin lesions were detected in 15/64 patients (23.44%) and tobacco habits was observed in 20/64 patients (31.25%). The average period of follow-up of the affected cases was 1-2 years, during which two cases developed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral lesion. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study it revealed the prevalence of OLP among middle-aged women. Atrophic lesions were most frequent, followed by the erosive forms. Anti-HCV circulating antibodies were more common in patients with OLP and, notably, OLP was associated with Diabetes mellitus in 15.63% of patients.