What kind of doctor should I see for oral lichen planus?

You'll likely start by seeing your primary care doctor or dentist. Some people with oral lichen planus also develop lichen planus on their skin. Depending on your symptoms, you may be referred to a specialist in skin diseases (dermatologist) or a specialist in gum and dental diseases (periodontist).

Who is the best doctor for lichen planus?

If you have any symptoms of lichen planus, talk with your doctor. You may need to see a dermatologist for the most effective care.

What kind of doctor can diagnose lichen planus?

A dermatologist often can tell whether you have lichen planus by looking at your skin, nails, and mouth. To make sure that you have lichen planus, a dermatologist may remove a bit of skin. This skin will be examined under a microscope to make sure. Your dermatologist may call this a biopsy.

Does an ENT treat lichen planus?

People with oral lichen planus have an elevated risk of developing oral cancer. Therefore, it's important for patients with this condition to consult their primary care physician about possibly establishing care with an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist, or otolaryngologist.

Can a dentist treat oral lichen planus?

Conclusions: General dentists can be expected to manage the majority of patients with oral lichen planus. Some patients may need to be referred for diagnostic purposes to a specialist; this is also the case for the rare patient with severe symptoms, possibly requiring systemic treatment.

Lichen planus - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology

How I cured my lichen planus in mouth?

Oral lichen planus is a chronic condition. There is no cure, so the treatment focuses on helping severe lesions heal and reducing pain or other discomfort. Your doctor will monitor your condition to determine the appropriate treatment or stop treatment as necessary.

What causes oral lichen planus to flare up?

It's possible that, in some people, oral lichen planus may be triggered by certain medications, mouth injury, infection or allergy-causing agents such as dental materials. Stress may be involved in symptoms becoming worse or recurring.

Is oral lichen planus precancerous?

Lichen planus affects the skin, mucosa (including the oral mucosa) or a combination of both (4). In 1978, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that oral lichen planus (OLP) is a precancerous condition (5). In this regard, the association between OLP and oral cancer has been extensively studied.

What is the best mouthwash for lichen planus?

Daily hydrogen peroxide mouthwash (Peroxyl) or occasional chlorhexidine (Corsodyl) twice per week are examples. If possible, avoid a mouthwash containing alcohol. In severe cases of oral lichen planus, systemic treatment (taken by mouth) may be required for several months or years.

What autoimmune disease causes lichen planus?

Etiology of Lichen Planus

Lichen planus (LP) is thought to be caused by a T cell–mediated autoimmune reaction against basal epithelial keratinocytes in people with genetic predisposition.

Is oral lichen planus an autoimmune disease?

Lichen planus (LP) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory autoimmune skin and mucous membrane disease. LP most commonly presents as itchy, shiny, reddish-purple spots (lesions) on the skin (cutaneous LP) or as white-gray lesions in the mouth or on the lips (oral LP).

Is oral lichen planus a fungal infection?

Patients with symptomatic or erythematous oral lichen planus (OLP) commonly have Candida infection requiring correct identification of Candida species in order to initiate adequate antimycotic therapy.

What is the fastest way to cure lichen planus?

The first choice for treatment of lichen planus is usually a prescription corticosteroid cream or ointment. If that doesn't help and your condition is severe or widespread, your doctor might suggest a corticosteroid pill or injection.

What vitamins are good for lichen planus?

Lichen planus disease is a chronic inflammatory lesion without a known etiology. Recent studies have indicated the role of vitamin D on immune system and proposed its anti-inflammatory effects.

How long does it take for oral lichen planus to go away?

The lesions of cutaneous lichen planus typically resolve within 1-2 years, whereas the reticular forms of oral lichen planus have a mean duration of 5 years and erosive lesions of oral lichen planus are long-lasting and persist for up to 15-20 years or longer.

Is lichen planus bacterial or viral?

Lichen planus (LP) is a relatively common, chronic dermato-mucosal disease that often affects the oral mucosa. Among bacterial infections affecting LP, Helicobacter pylori has recently been proposed as an important etiologic factor.

What foods trigger oral lichen planus?

They'll likely hurt the most when you eat or drink foods that are spicy, salty, acidic (orange juice, tomatoes), or alcoholic. Crispy treats and drinks with caffeine can also cause problems. Your doctor can diagnose oral lichen planus by taking a small piece of skin from inside your mouth.

Does oral lichen planus make you tired?

Skin irritation, headache, nausea and tiredness can be side-effects. PUVA - this is a special light therapy that may be advised by a skin specialist if you have extensive and severe lichen planus.

Can baking soda help oral lichen planus?

baking soda and lemon are very much effective in treating OLP. The commonly used homeopathic medicines used for the treatment of OLP are plantaga, mercsol and borax. The non pharmacological approaches used for treating OLP include PUVA therapy, laser therapy, cryotherapy and CO2 laser.

Which type of lichen planus is malignant?

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosa disease that is recognized as an oral potentially malignant disorder.

Is Oral Lichen Planus common?

Overall, lichen planus affects approximately 2 percent of the population. Although the disorder may occur in all age groups, women over the age 50 years are most commonly affected.

Is biopsy needed for lichen planus?

Lichen planus can be diagnosed clinically in classic cases, although biopsy is often helpful to confirm the diagnosis and is required for more atypical presentations. A 4-mm punch biopsy should be adequate on the skin or in the mouth.

Does Covid 19 cause lichen planus?

Despite viruses being reported as a triggering factor in oral lichen planus, very few cases of oral lichen planus after COVID-19 infection were noticed. The immunological and psychological changes induced by COVID-19 infection may explain the tendency to find lichen planus lesions in COVID-19 patients.

Can oral lichen planus affect the throat?

Oral lichen planus occurs most often on the inside of your cheeks but also can affect your gums, tongue, lips and other parts of your mouth. Oral lichen planus sometimes involves your throat or esophagus.

Is lichen planus life threatening?

Although lichen planus is a disease of uncertain cause and is difficult to be cured by treatment, this skin disease itself is neither life threatening like cancer nor infectious. Therefore, lichen planus is very unlikely to affect your general health and cannot be passed on.