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Oral Lichen Planus

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Diseases of the Oral Mucosa

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Abstract

Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is an immune-mediated, chronic inflammatory condition. It may present during consultations with physicians, dentists or allied health professionals as an incidental finding or due to patient symptoms. OLP may involve the oral mucosa alone or arise in association with lichen planus (LP) at other sites such as the skin, scalp, nails or genitalia. There are six subtypes of OLP: reticular, papular, plaque-like, atrophic, ulcerative and bullous. Important differential diagnoses for OLP include lichenoid reactions, immunobullous conditions and lupus. Although the majority of patients will have minimal symptoms or be asymptomatic, OLP can persist for many years with fluctuating severity and symptoms. In severe cases, there can be profound implications for oral health and quality of life, due to consequences of impaired oral hygiene, scarring of the mucosa and complications of systemic immunosuppressant medications. Management of OLP is symptomatic, with a range of topical and systemic therapies available. Long-term surveillance of patients with OLP is required due to the small risk of malignant transformation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Medicine, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

    Shalini Nayee & Cameron Herbert

  2. Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK

    Jane F. Setterfield

Authors
  1. Shalini Nayee
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  2. Cameron Herbert
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  3. Jane F. Setterfield
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Correspondence to Jane F. Setterfield .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology (LIED) and Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany

    Enno Schmidt

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Nayee, S., Herbert, C., Setterfield, J.F. (2021). Oral Lichen Planus. In: Schmidt, E. (eds) Diseases of the Oral Mucosa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82804-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82804-2_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82803-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82804-2

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