A retrospective clinicopathological study of 550 patients with oral lichen planus in south‐eastern Spain

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39: 491–496 Objectives:  This study describes the clinicopathological characteristics of a group of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) in south-eastern Spain. Materials and methods:  A retrospective descriptive study was made of 550 patients clinically and histopathologically diagnosed with OLP in the period 1991–2007. Patient gender, age, the prevalence of hepatitis C, symptoms and malignization were recorded. The clinical forms were classified as reticular-papular and atrophic-erosive. Results:  Of the 550 patients, 128 (23.3%) were men and 422 (76.7%) women. The mean age was 56.35 ± 13.67 years (range 14–91). The prevalence of hepatitis C was 3.5%. The red clinical forms were the most frequent, with 359 cases (64.2%). The lesions were asymptomatic in 159 patients (28.9%). Five patients developed oral squamous cell carcinoma (0.9%); none of these subjects was smokers. Conclusions:  Patients with OLP present different clinical manifestations. Women were more frequently affected by the disease, and the malignant transformation rate was under 1%.