Treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus: a literature review

Lichen planus (LP) is a relatively common chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease. The aetiology is un-known, but appears to be mediated by the immune system. Emotional factors such as stress and anxiety are as-sociated with oral lichen planus (OLP). It affects a higher percentage of middle-aged females. Erosive/ulcerative lesions are accompanied by symptoms such as severe pain and burning sensation, which vary according to the de-gree of inflammation. The main treatment of symptomatic OLP includes the use of topical corticosteroid drugs. Al-ternative treatments include immunosuppressants, retinoids, laser therapy, photodynamic therapy, aloe vera and green tea. The objective of this literature review was to describe the effective treatments for symptomatic OLP le-sions. It was concluded that topical therapy is the most widely used treatment for symptomatic lesions of OLP. Clo-betasol propionate mouthwash was the most used anti-inflammatory drug even though it has the same efficacy as other treatments. There is no stipulated duration of topical treatment for clobetasol propionate and should be used until the complete remission of the symptoms.