Assessment of Uric Acid Level in the Saliva of Patients with Oral Lichen Planus

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of uric acid (UA) in saliva, which is considered to be an antioxidant defense biomarker against oxidative stress in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, 25 OLP patients were included. The reticular form of OLP was verified by a clinical examination with Wickham striae, and other types (erosive, atrophic, ulcerative) were confirmed by histopathological assessment. Thirty healthy individuals matched for age and gender were selected as the control group. In both groups, the Navazesh technique was used to collect the unstimulated saliva. Then, the amount of UA was measured using a Cobas Mira autoanalyzer with a wavelength of 546 nm. The Student t test was used to analyze the data assuming a significance level at <0.05. RESULTS: Of the 25 patients, the most common type of OLP was erosive (n = 11, 44%), and the most common site of OLP was seen as bilateral in the buccal mucosa (n = 12, 48%). The mean level of salivary UA was significantly lower in the patients with OLP (2.10 ± 0.19 mg/dL) in comparison with the control group (4.80 ± 0.29 mg/dL; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, OLP was associated with a decrease in UA levels in the saliva. Salivary UA as a biomarker could be used for monitoring and treating OLP.