RESUMEN
Objective: To evaluate the malignant potential of oral lichen planus (OLP) by measuring and analyzing the dimensions of spinous cell in mucosal epithelium.Methods:Paraffin-embedded samples of oral mucosa, including normal (N,7 cases), OLP(16 cases), oral leukoplakia(12 cases) with mild and moderate epithelial dysplasia (LK) and well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC,10 cases), were analyzed by MIAS-99 System.The planar and stereoscopic dimensions of spinous cells were measured and compared.Results:The values of morphometric and stereologic parameters in OLP were between those in normal mucosa and in LK, significantly different from those in SCC and not significantly different from those in normal epithelium.Conclusion:Based on the changes of cell morphometric parameter value, OLP is generally a benign lesion with some degree of malignant potentiality that is less than LK.Nucleus/cytoplasm volume ratio and volume density of cell nucleus of spinous cells in mucosal epithelium are of value in distinguishing benign from maliganant lesions.