Quality of life in patients with oral lichen planus.

BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) can seriously affect the quality of life of patients because it has a strong impact on social relations, psychological status and daily activities.

OBJECTIVE: To study the quality of life using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) (validated Spanish version) in patients with OLP.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 74 patients with a minimum age of 18 years who had lichen planus were recruited into the study, along with 74 'healthy' subjects matched by sex and age who acted as control. Both groups completed the OHIP-49.

RESULTS: Higher scores were obtained on the OHIP-49 index in patients with OLP for all the subgroups and for the overall total than in the control group. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in the items concerning psychological discomfort, social disability and handicap in patients with OLP.

CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that the quality of life in patients with OLP is reduced and that patient-centred measures should be considered in the management of patients with OLP.