Helicobacter pylori infection is correlated with the incidence of erosive oral lichen planus and the alteration of the oral microbiome composition

BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP), a common clinical oral disease, is associated with an increased risk of malignant transformation. The mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of OLP is unknown. Oral dysbacteriosis is reported to be one of the aetiological factors of OLP. Although Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with various oral diseases, the correlation between H. pylori infection and OLP is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of H. pylori infection on OLP pathogenesis and oral microbiome composition in the Chinese population, which has a high incidence of H. pylori infection. RESULT: In this study, saliva samples of 30 patients with OLP (OLP group) and 21 negative controls (NC group) were collected. H. pylori infection was detected using the carbon-13-labeled urea breath test (UBT). The saliva samples were divided into the following four groups based on the H. pylori status: H. pylori-positive OLP (OLP+), H. pylori-positive NC (NC+), H. pylori-negative OLP (OLP−), and H. pylori-negative NC (NC−). Oral microbiome compositions were significantly different between the OLP and NC groups and between the OLP− and OLP+ groups. Compared with those in the OLP− group, those in the OLP+ group had a higher incidence of erosive OLP and higher levels of salivary cytokines. In contrast, the oral microbiome composition and cytokine levels were not significantly different between the NC− and NC+ groups. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report to demonstrate that H. pylori infection is significantly correlated with the pathogenesis of erosive OLP. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-021-02188-0.