Oral Lichenoid Reaction: A Review

Oral lichenoid reactions are disease conditions with definite identifiable aetiology. It can occur either due to intake of drug i.e. lichenoid drug eruptions or due to contact with some potential irritants which majority of times are dental materials. Some other allergens including certain food items are also reported. Some systemic conditions such as chronic liver disease, hepatitis C virus infection and Graft versus Host disease are also reported to be associated with oral lichenoid reactions. Intraoral contact allergy reactions are clinically not very well differentiated and understood, and are not very commonly described in the literature. Although such reactions appear to be barely relevant, reports suggest that they may be more frequent than believed. Oral lichenoid reaction is known to be a difficult diagnosis because of its close resemblance to oral lichen planus; however there are some discriminatory features between the two conditions. Epicutaneous patch testing, together with the clinical manifestations, and the most widely used diagnostic approach for this condition. The potential risk of malignant transformation in oral lichenoid reaction makes this entity of more clinical significance and thereby increases the need of proper understanding of its diagnosis and management.