Relation of stress and anxiety to oral lichen planus

Stress and anxiety have frequently been mentioned as possible factors related to the development of oral lichen planus, although this association appears to have only an anecdotal origin. In this study, 48 patients with a clinical and histologic diagnosis of oral lichen planus completed questionnaires aimed at assessing their stressful life events (Social Readjustment Rating Scale) and their tendency for anxiety (the trait portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). Age- and sex-matched control groups included patients who underwent biopsies for irritation fibroma and routine clinic patients. No significant differences were seen among any of the groups with respect to scores on the questionnaires. These results suggest that patients who manifest oral lichen planus have no greater tendency toward anxiety and no more stressful life events than other individuals.