Paediatric Oral Lichen Planus

Lichen Planus is a chronic, mucocutaneous disease that may affect the oral mucosa, skin, genital mucosa, nails, and scalp. It occurs more frequently in adults than in children. Ten cases of Oral Lichen Planus (OLP), diagnosed in children presenting to the Liverpool University Dental Hospital (UK) Oral Medicine department are presented. The case series includes four male and six female patients, ranging in age from 10 to 17 years at diagnosis. A clinical diagnosis alone was made in five patients and five patients underwent an incisional biopsy, which confirmed a histological diagnosis consistent with OLP. In one case, moderate dysplasia was diagnosed, on a background of OLP. Five patients presented with asymptomatic disease. In symptomatic cases, treatments included topical anesthetic mouthwash and topical steroid preparations. OLP is classified as an oral potentially malignant disorder and approximately 1% of patients develop oral cancer, however no cases of malignant transformation have been reported in children. None of our paediatric patients with OLP have developed oral cancer during a mean follow up time of 2 years. However, ongoing clinical monitoring is required so that malignant change can be detected at the earliest possible stage when treatment is most successful.