Predictors of symptomatic oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the factors associated with symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP). STUDY DESIGN: Patients with OLP seen for an initial visit were assessed retrospectively. Initial visit data included demographic characteristics; social, medical, and OLP treatment histories; medications; chief complaints, 0 to 10 pain level; OLP duration and symptoms; OLP type and location; total OLP lesion size (mm2); total ulcer size (mm2); and fungal infection and its management. Follow-up data included 0 to 10 pain level and total lesion and ulcer sizes. RESULTS: We assessed 205 patients: 154 (75%) were women, and the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 62.5 (11.5) years. The mean (SD) current pain level was 1.6 (2.2) at the initial visit. A total of 125 patients (61%) were classified as symptomatic, including 85 (41%) patients reporting a pain level of 1 or greater and another 40 patients (20%) who had symptoms not described as pain at the initial visit. The following increased the odds of OLP symptoms at the initial visit: tongue location (× 2.3), erosive/erythematous type (× 2.3), female sex (× 2.9), topical steroid use before initial visit (× 2.1), and number of medical conditions (× 1.2). CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with OLP in the present cohort were symptomatic at the initial visit, with location, type, sex, steroid use and medical conditions being predictors of symptomatic OLP. Despite improvement in OLP symptoms in most patients over time, 25% of patients who are asymptomatic at the initial visit present with symptomatic OLP at a future visit.

Diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome: American-European and the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria.

Classification criteria provide a formalized approach to studying course and management of rheumatic disease, as well as a measure of improvement in care. Understanding the purposes of classification criteria sets and the differences between different classification criteria is crucial for understanding rheumatic disease and for the design and conduct of clinical and epidemiologic investigations. In this article, the similarities and differences between the American-European Consensus Group Criteria (AECG) and the newly proposed American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Sjögren's syndrome and the clinical implications of switching to the ACR classification criteria from the AECG are described.

Radiation-induced trismus in head and neck cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of trismus in patients who had previously received curative doses of radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. In addition, we assessed if trismus was associated with quality of life deficits and radiation toxicity. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between February, 2005 and December, 2006, 40 patients with histologically confirmed head and neck cancer who had received curative doses of RT to the area(s) of the masticatory muscles and/or the ligaments of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were enrolled in this study. Differences in trismus incidence were compared between cancer treatment modalities [i.e., RT vs RT/chemotherapy (CT) and conventional RT vs intensity modulated RT]. Quality of life (QOL) was measured by using four questions from the EORTC QLQ-C30 that address pain and difficulty opening the jaw. Scores regarding impaired eating as a result of decreased range of motion of the mouth were derived from the Modified Common Toxicity Criteria (CTCAE Version 3.0). RESULTS: Trismus was identified in 45% of subjects who had received curative doses of RT. No differences were noted in the incidence of trismus between RT and RT/CT or between conventional RT and intensity modulated RT (IMRT). Those with trismus demonstrated more QOL deficits than the non-trismus group. CONCLUSIONS: Curative doses of RT for head and neck cancer result in trismus in a high percentage of patients, independent of other treatment modalities. Trismus has a negative impact on quality of life in this population.