Histopathological findings in oral lichen planus and their correlationwith the clinical manifestations

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To highlight the most characteristic histopathological findings of oral lichen planus and their correlationwith the clinical manifestations and forms.Study design: We performed a retrospective study of 50 biopsied and diagnosed cases of oral lichen planus obtainedover a period of 11 years, spanning from May 1998 to April 2009. We analyzed the age and sex of thepatient, type of lichen planus, location and different histopathological findings, comparing them with the clinicallesions.Results: Seventy eight percent of the patients are female and 22% are male, with an average age of 56.06 years forboth sexes. The most frequent clinical form is reticular, present in 78% of the cases, and the most common locationis the buccal mucosa, present in 70% of the patients. Hydropic degeneration of the basal layer and lymphocyticinfiltration in the subepithelial layer are observed in the entire sample. Signs of atypia were identified in 4% of thecases, but without dysplasic features. Other common histological findings were the presence of necrotic keratinocytes(92%), hyperplasia (54%), hyperkeratosis (66%), acanthosis (48%), and less frequently, serrated ridges (30%)and the presence plasma cells (26%) (AU)