A newly developed method for treatment of oral lichen planus with ultraviolet irradiation

In the past, treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP) was usually discontinued by patients due to the many adverse effects such as drug-induced side effects, scarring, etc. In this study, 35 patients with severe OLP which was verified histologically were subjected to irradiation. The lesions were irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light at wave lengths of 320-400 nm for 5-10 minutes per single exposure once a week. During each irradiation, the patients were protected with eye goggles and no photosensitizer was added. Soreness and discomfort of the oral lesions were markedly relieved after irradiation for 4 treatments. By comparing the pre- and post-treatment findings from clinical, histological and immunohistochemical examinations, 30(85.7%) out of the 35 patients were either cured or improved after 8 treatments of UV-A irradiation. The advantages of UV-A irradiation therapy are as follows: (1) fewer erythemic-induced side effects: (2) marked improvement of lesions within a short period; and (3) no malignant transformation during a period of 5 years following the irradiation.