What Is Oral Lichen Planus?
Oral lichen planus is a chronic disease that affects the mouth with symptoms such as redness, white patches, and swelling. It takes time to resolve and is likely to recur, but certain steps help alleviate the symptoms.
Oral lichen planus is a non-communicable disease more prevalent in women. It typically affects people above 40; however, it is also seen in kids and young adults.
What Are the Causes of Oral Lichen Planus Causes?
Doctors are still researching the exact causes of lichen planus. However, some known reasons include:
- Genetics
- Hepatitis C infection
- Immune system disorder makes immune cells attack the healthy lining of the mouth while protecting you against bacteria and viruses.
What Are the Symptoms of Oral Lichen Planus?
Symptoms start either slowly or all at once. Those that appear first are dryness, a burning sensation, and a metallic taste in the mouth. Then, white patches start showing up on the gums, tongue, and inner cheeks. Redness, blistering, peeling, and swollen mucous membrane are also symptomatic of the advanced stage of lichen planus.
The painful and stinging sores make eating and drinking certain foods difficult. Anything spicy, acidic, salty, or alcoholic will hurt your mouth. Caffeinated drinks and crispy treats may not leave your taste buds happy anymore.
What Triggers Oral Lichen Planus?
The following factors play a role in the onset or recurrence of oral lichen planus.
- Metal allergy because of a restorative or corrective dental appliance
- A rough anatomic crown or biting cheeks and tongue now and then.
- Some medicines treat high blood pressure, diabetes, and malaria.
- Painkillers
- Food allergy
- Mouth injury
- Infection
How is Oral Lichen Planus Diagnosed?
Medical history, symptoms, and physical examination help doctors diagnose lichen planus. However, sometimes lab tests may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. These tests may consist of:
- Hepatitis C blood test
- An allergy test (also called skin prick test), wherein an allergist uses different substances to check for immediate allergic.
- A biopsy is a procedure wherein the doctor removes a small part of the affected tissue and examines it under a microscope to determine if it has the cell patterns that show the characteristics of lichen planus.
Your doctor may ask for more blood work or biopsies if they suspect several variations of lichen planus, such as the types that affect the ears, mouth, esophagus, and genitals.
How Do You Get Rid of Lichen Planus in Your Mouth?
Treatment
Lichen planus in the mouth takes more time to heal than on the skin. The latter often clears up in months to years. When in the mouth, lichen planus is also likely to recur more. Therefore, you need to stay in touch with your doctor when managing the symptoms of oral lichen planus Eve though some actresses with big noses have gotten their treatment from doctors who don’t mostly visit the doctor. Standard treatment options for lichen planus include:
Corticosteroids
The first-line treatment for lichen planus is typically a prescription-strength corticosteroid ointment or cream. Your doctor may suggest it if you’re in pain or have sores.
If that is ineffective and the condition worsens, your doctor might recommend a corticosteroid injection or pill.
Topical corticosteroids have a few side effects, such as skin thinning because of long-term use and oral thrush. Therefore, use corticosteroids only as directed by your doctor. For more Information https://redwingnews.com/
Antihistamines
An antihistamine tablet helps relieve the itching of lichen planus.
Immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive drugs
Your doctor may prescribe a medication that regulates or suppresses immune response if they ascertain that your immune system is causing the symptoms.
These medications include:
- Immunosuppressant topical gel or ointment: Also known as calcineurin inhibitors, they suppress the immune response to manage autoimmune conditions. These are primarily used for immunosuppression after organ transplants. However, calcineurin inhibitors may increase your risk for cancer.
- Immune response medicines
These are systemic medications taken by mouth. Your doctor prescribes if lichen planus spreads to your other body parts, such as the scalp or genitals. Some often-prescribed immune response-altering medications include cyclosporine (Gengraf, Sandimmune, azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), methotrexate (Trexall), and mycophenolate (Cellcept).
Oral anti-infections drugs
Sometimes, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics and antimalarial drugs to treat oral lichen planus.
Retinoids
Retinoid-based treatment for lichen planus comes into the picture when corticosteroids do not show significant results. The doctor prescribes oral or topical medication to help ease the symptoms. Note that retinoids are not for pregnant women or women trying to conceive. Using retinoids during these periods can cause congenital disabilities in the baby.
Light therapy
Phototherapy or light therapy is generally used to treat lichen planus of the skin. The doctor exposes the affected part to ultraviolet B light and works on the epidermis to clear up the patches and sores. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has recently emerged as a better, safe, and non-invasive treatment alternative for oral lichen planus.
Light-based therapy may not suit every patient. Whether it is right for you depends on your ethnicity, general skin condition, the status of the disease, and skin color.
These treatment options help relieve pain, itching, and other symptoms of lichen planus and promote healing. However, each has possible side effects. Therefore, talk to your doctor to get more information on the benefits outweighing the side effects.
How to Prevent Oral Lichen Planus?
While not much is known about preventing lichen planus, steps to contain its spread are effective. Limit the intake of spicy foods, citrus fruits, hot or cold foods, and beverages to avoid discomfort. Some other factors to consider are:
- Stress management
- Replacement of damaged fillings or crowns. Also, look for metal-free alternatives, if available.
- Paying attention to symptoms that appear after taking certain medications.
- Brushing softly and floss twice daily
- Quitting smoking
- Moderate or no alcohol consumption
- Taking a nutritious diet that strengthens the body.
Can Oral Lichen Planus Lead to Oral Cancer?
There’s a slight possibility that oral lichen planus may lead to oral cancer. Get oral cancer screening every 6-12 months and track your symptoms. Inform your doctor when you see any changes in your mouth.
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