Evaluation of oral lichen planus frequency in patients referred to the Oral Pathology Department of Isfahan School of Dentistry during the last two decades (1988-2008)

Introduction: Lichen planus is a relatively common, chronic mucocutaneous disease with the risk of malignancy. In recent years, there have been increases in the prevalence of oral lichen planus (OLP) and it looks there are some changes in the epidemiologic pattern of this lesion. Despite the existence of different studies about the changes in OLP lesion epidemiology, this study aimed to investigate epidemiologic changes of oral lichen planus in patients referred to the Oral Pathology Department of Isfahan Dental School (1988-2008). Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, archives of the Oral Pathology Department from 1988-2008 was reviewed. Sex, age, location and type of lesion and the referral year were recorded. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with SPSS11.5 statistical software.  Results: A total of 6509 patients had been referred to the Oral Pathology Department, with 238 (3.65%) of cases diagnosed with OLP; 154 (64.7%) of the cases were females. The mean age of OLP patient was 44.8 ± 12.7 years. Buccal mucosa was most frequently involved (68.1%). Conclusion: An increase in the number of patients and decrease in mean age of the patients with OLP was noted, which might be attributed to population growth and an increase in the number of cases referring to dental practitioners, or more accurate diagnosis in recent years. Therefore, regular follow-up programs are recommended for the diagnosis and treatment of high risk groups.   Key words: Oral lichen planus, Epidemiologic changes, Oral white lesions.