Oral lichen planus: a narrative review

Area of Science:

• Oral Medicine
• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a prevalent T-cell mediated inflammatory condition affecting oral mucosa.
• Diagnosis relies on clinical and histological assessments, with lifelong follow-up recommended due to malignant transformation risk.
• Current diagnostic methods can be invasive, necessitating tissue biopsy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of in vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) for diagnosing Oral Lichen Planus.
• To assess RCM's capability in differentiating OLP lesions from other oral mucosal conditions.
• To explore RCM as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for OLP.

Main Methods:

• In vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) was employed to image OLP lesions.
• RCM provided real-time, non-surgical visualization of oral mucosal tissues.
• Clinical data was correlated with RCM findings to assess diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) successfully captured detailed images of Oral Lichen Planus lesions.
• RCM demonstrated potential in distinguishing OLP from clinically similar oral mucosal diseases.
• The technique offered a virtual biopsy, bypassing the need for traditional histopathology.

Conclusions:

• In vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) is a promising non-invasive tool for Oral Lichen Planus diagnosis.
• RCM can aid clinicians in differentiating OLP, potentially improving diagnostic workflows.
• Further research is warranted to establish RCM as a standard diagnostic method for OLP.