Prevalence of Oral Lichen Planus in HCV Patients in Shiraz, South of Iran

Background: The association between oral Lichen planus (OLP) as a common oral disease and HCV infection as an etiological factor in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma has been widely reported. However, there are wide geographical variations in the reported prevalence. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of L. planus in HCV+ patients in Shiraz, southern Iran. Methods: Seventy-six HCV+ positive patients (59 males and 17 females) aged between 28 and 58 years were enrolled as the case group and 90 HCV-patients (79 males and 11 females) aged between 26 and 62 years entered the study as the control group. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the presence of anti-HCV antibodies in all subjects in both groups. To confirm positive diagnoses, a polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) was performed. Oral cavity of all patients was clinically examined for the presence of different types of erosive and keratotic lesions of OLP. Results: Erosive and keratotic lesions of OLP were detected in buccal mucosa of two cases (2.6%) in the case group and in one patient of the control group (1.1%). Conclusion: There was no statistically significant relationship between OLP and HCV infection in Shiraz (P value=0.57). Further studies are needed to focus on other groups in different regions of Iran to determine whether testing for HCV infection is necessary in patients with OLP.