Demographic and clinicopathological comparison among oral lichen planus, lichenoid lesions and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: a retrospective study

Background: Clinicopathological diagnosis and follow-up of oral lichen planus and leukoplakia are necessary due to its potential for malignant transformation and the need to differentiate it from other lichenoid diseases and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia. This study aimed to classify and compare sociodemographic and clinicopathological features among patients with oral lichen planus, oral lichenoid lesions and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia.

Methods: A transversal observational study in which oral leukoplakia and oral lichen planus patients were surveyed at the Oral Pathological Anatomy Service and Applied Biotechnology Laboratory was conducted. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological data were compared for the lesions studied with the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.

Results: After classification, 21 oral lichen planus lesions, 34 oral lichenoid lesions and 12 proliferative verrucous leukoplakia lesions were evaluated. Reticular patterns are more characteristic of oral lichen planus and plaque lesions of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia. The buccal mucosa was the most affected site in oral lichen planus lesions, and it was bilateral in all patients. Epithelial dysplasia was present in almost all patients with proliferative verrucous leukoplakia.

Conclusions: Compared with oral lichen planus and proliferative verrucous leukoplakia, oral lichenoid lesions presented intermediate features. This may delay proliferative verrucous leukoplakia diagnosis.