Efficacy of Aloe Vera and Clobetasol Propionate in the Management of Oral Lichen Planus: A Randomized Parallel Clinical Trial

Objectives: The purpose of this randomized parallel clinical trial was to assess and compare the efficacy of 97% Aloe Vera (AV) gel and 94.7% AV juice against an active control (0.05% Clobetasol Propionate) in the treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP). Materials and Methods : Age and sex matched patients with histologically proven OLP were divided into two groups. One group received 97% AV gel for topical application and 10ml 94.7% AV juice to consume twice daily. The active control group received topical 0.05% Clobetasol Propionate ointment twice daily. Treatment lasted two months followed by four months of observation. Monthly evaluation of various clinical features of OLP was done using the OLP disease scoring criteria. Burning sensation was evaluated using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Mann Whitney–U (followed by Bonferroni adjustment) and Wilcoxon’s signed-rank tests were used for intergroup and intragroup comparisons, respectively. Interclass correlation-coefficient test was applied to assess the intra-observer variation (P<0.05). Results: In total, 41 females and 19 males participated in this study. The most common site was the buccal mucosa followed by the gingivobuccal vestibule. The reticular variant was most frequently encountered. Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test showed significant differences in both groups between baseline and end-of-treatment for VAS, site-score, reticular/plaque/papular score, erosive/atrophic score and OLP disease score (P<0.05). Mann–Whitney revealed significant difference between both groups in the 2(nd), 3(rd) and 4(th) months (P<0.0071). Conclusion: Clobetasol Propionate is more effective for OLP management but in our study AV proved to be a safe treatment alternative for OLP management.