Oral Lichen Planus: A review of clinical features, etiologies, and treatments

ABSTRACT Lichen Planus (LP) is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition that can affect the oral cavity, skin, nails, hair, eyes, esophagus, and other mucous membranes. The clinicians should be familiar with the clinical features of all clinical subtypes for LP, including oral LP's (OLP) etiologies, risk factors, and possible treatments. This comprehensive review discusses LP/OLP etiologies, including dental materials' allergies, pharmaceuticals' side effects, genetics' predisposition, and systemic diseases, including autoimmune and nutritional deficiencies. In addition, possible associations with OLP and viruses, such as Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV), Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) are discussed. Authors also summarized OLP's treatment with glucocorticosteroid therapy or other modalities that could reduce the patient's symptoms while investigating the possibility of having an underlying cause.