The management of oral lichen planus

Oral lichen planus is a relatively common inflammatory disease affecting between 0.5% and 2.2% of the population in epidemiological studies. In contrast with cutaneous lichen planus (LP), in which the clinical course is often mild and resolves within 2 years, mucosal LP tends to follow a more chronic course often punctuated by acute exacerbations. Furthermore, although distinct clinical subtypes such as reticular, atrophic, hypertrophic and erosive forms are well recognized, more than one clinical phenotype may be seen at a time. The rare association with oral neoplasia should always be considered and high-risk patients must be kept under close observation. Thus the management of this disorder will vary widely both between patients, and for individual patients, with fluctuations in disease activity. Here we discuss the therapeutic options available and review the evidence for their use.