Oral Lichen Planus: An Overview
Abstract
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an inflammatory disorder of the oral mucosa with a prevalence of 0.5% to 2.2% among adults. Disease onset tends to occur between the ages of 30 to 60 years and is observed more frequently among females than males. In contrast to the cutaneous lesions of lichen planus, OLP is often chronic and patients are plagued with relapses and remissions. OLP also often causes substantial morbidity, as it is considered to be a precancerous lesion owing to its associations with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Rates at which OLP undergoes malignant transformation range from 0.4% to 1.4%, and these rates are highest for the atrophic and ulcerative clinical subtypes of OLP.
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