Association of Oral Lichen Planus with Autoimmune Diseases in A Northern Serbia Population: Matched Case-Control Study and Literature Review

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a still poorly understood and relatively common chronic inflammatory disease of oral mucosa. A connection between OLP and certain diseases have been reported in the past, such as diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis C infection (HCV), thyroid disease, and malignant diseases. There is some controversial about mentioned link with OLP. The study objective was to investigate association between autoimmune diseases and OLP in Northern Serbian province. A total of 48 patients (33 females and 15 males, ranged 29-84 years, mean age 59.8 ± 13.0) with clinical and histopathological proven OLP, along with 71 matched controls without oral mucosa lesions were included in the study. This was a retrospective case-control study conducted in patients who were treated at the Dental Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, between January 2010 and Jun 2016. Clinical characteristics of OLP lesions, other oral mucosal diseases, presence of cutaneous LP, medical and family history with special regard to their autoimmune diseases with medication intake were recorded. Association regarding total of autoimmune diseases was found significant especially in prevalence of thyroid gland diseases. This study indicates connection between thyroid gland disorders (Hashimoto thyroiditis) and OLP. There is a need for further investigations such a screening for asymptomatic OLP in woman over the 40 years old suffering from thyroid gland disorders, particularly hypothyroidism.