Lycopene in the management of oral lichen planus: A placebo-controlled study.

Context: Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of lichen planus, and a lower level of lycopene has been reported in erosive and atrophic oral lichen planus (OLP) patients. However, its efficacy in the management of OLP has not been reported. Aim: This study was designed to assess the efficacy of systemic lycopene in the management of OLP. Settings and Design: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was done in the Oral Medicine Department of a postgraduate teaching dental hospital in India. Materials and Methods: Thirty symptomatic OLP patients, randomly divided into two groups of 15 each, were administered lycopene 8 mg/day and an identical placebo, respectively, for 8 consecutive weeks. Burning sensation using visual analogue scale and overall treatment response using Tel Aviv-San Francisco scale were recorded at every visit. The data obtained were analyzed statistically using Wilcoxon Rank test, Mann-Whitney and Fischer's Exact test. Results: A higher (84%) reduction in burning sensation was seen in lycopene than in the placebo group (67%). All 15 (100%) patients in the lycopene group showed 50% or more benefit and 11 (73.3%) patients showed 70-100% benefit, while this number was only 10 and 4 (26.7%), respectively, in the placebo group. Conclusion: Lycopene was very effective in the management of OLP, and oxidative stress may have a role in disease pathogenesis.

Oral focal mucinosis: report of two cases / Mucinose oral focal: relato de dois casos

Purpose: Oral focal mucinosis (OFM), an oral counterpart of cutaneous focal mucinosis, is a rare disease of unknown etiology. Its pathogenesis may be due to overproduction of hyaluronic acid by fibroblast at the expense of collagen production, resulting in focal myxoid degeneration of connective tissue primarily affecting the mucosa overlying bone. It has no distinctive clinical features, since the diagnosis is solely based on histopathological features. This paper reports two cases and discusses clinicopathological, immunohistochemical features and differential diagnosis of myxomatous lesions of the oral cavity. Case description: The two cases of OFM lesions were present in a 50 year-old patient on the hard palate and in a 26 year-old female patient in the mandible, which seem to be the first report in the Indian population. Conclusion: The histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of Vimentin and S-100 protein may play a vital role in the correct diagnosis of OFM.

Objetivo: Mucinose oral focal (MOF), uma lesão equivalente à mucinose cutânea focal, é uma doença rara de etiologia desconhecida. Sua patogênese pode ser devido a superprodução de ácido hialurônico pelo fibroblasto às expensas de produção de colágeno, resultando em degeneração mixoide focal de tecido conjuntivo primariamente afetando a mucosa sobre o osso. Não tem características clínicas distintas e o diagnóstico é baseado somente em características histopatológicas. Este artigo relata dois casos e discute as características clinico-patológicas e imuno-histoquímicas, bem como o diagnóstico diferencial de lesões mixomatosas da cavidade bucal. Descrição dos casos: Os dois casos de lesões de MOF estavam presentes no palato duro de um paciente do sexo masculino, de 50 anos de idade, e na mandíbula de uma paciente do sexo feminino, de 26 anos. Estes parecem ser os primeiros casos relatados na população da India. Conclusão: A análise histopatológica e imuno-histoquímica de Vimentin e proteína S-100 podem ter um papel importante no correto diagnóstico de MOF.