A retrospective study of oral lichen planus in paediatric population

AIM: Well documented cases of oral lichen planus, a cell mediated immune condition is infrequently reported in paediatric population. This study was undertaken to obtain epidemiological data retrospectively and also to explore the possibility of any association that might exist among the clinical and histopathological features in paediatric patients suffering from oral lichen planus. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out on 22 patients, younger than 18 years with clinical and histopathological diagnosis of oral lichen planus over a period of 14 years. The clinical characteristics and histopathological features were observed. The statistical analysis of the data was performed using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS), Version 9.1. RESULTS: Analysis of data of 22 patients revealed that the average age of patient is 15.18 years with equal male and female predilection. The most common site is buccal mucosa (50%) and most frequent clinical form is erosive (63.64%). Focusing on the histopathological findings, parakeratosis was found in 86.36% of the cases, acanthosis in 63.64% of cases, moderate basal cell degeneration was identified in 63.64% of cases and dense lymphocytic infiltration at juxtaepithelial connective tissue region was found in 59.09% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Oral lichen planus in paediatric population is rare and appeared between 8 to 18 years of age. There is no significant gender predominance. The most common clinical form is erosive, manifesting mainly in buccal mucosa. Histopathological findings characteristic of oral lichen planus in paediatric patients include parakeratosis, acanthosis, liquefaction degeneration of basal cells and lymphocytic infiltration in the subepithelial layer.