What Triggers Oral Lichen Planus?

• Triggers
• Signs/Symptoms
  • What are the signs and symptoms of oral lichen planus?
• Diagnosis
  • How is oral lichen planus diagnosed?
• Treatment
  • How is oral lichen planus treated?

Oral lichen planus is an inflammatory condition that affects your mouth and can be triggered by medications, certain goods, oral care, and other factors

Oral lichen planus is an inflammatory condition that affects the mucous membranes inside your mouth. As a chronic disease, relapses or flare-ups are common, and may be triggered by the following:

• Medications
  • Painkillers
  • High blood pressure medications
  • Antimalarial medications
  • Antidiabetic medications
• Foods
  • Spicy foods
  • Sugary foods
  • Fast foods
  • Alcohol
• Oral care
  • Using mouthwash containing alcohol
  • Using toothpaste with a foaming agent such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
  • Not cleaning the mouth properly or regularly
• Emotional factors
  • High stress levels
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
• Mouth problems
  • Injury
  • Infection
• Tobacco use
  • Chewing or smoking tobacco

Oral lichen planus can appear as:

• Red, swollen patches
• White, web-like patches
• Open sores
• Blistering or peeling patches

Characteristic features of oral lichen planus can appear anywhere in the mouth, including:

• Inside the cheeks
• Gums
• Tongue
• Palate
• Inner side of the lips

Although white patches are usually painless, red patches are painful and may result in the following.

• Burning sensation in the mouth
• Gingivitis (gum inflammation)
• Bleeding
• Difficulty chewing and swallowing

Doctors diagnose oral lichen planus by examining the patches in your mouth, taking your medical history (including dental history), and ordering tests that may include:

• Biopsy: Small tissue samples are collected from one or more patches of the mouth and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
• Culture: A sample of cells collected from lesions are analyzed for the presence of microbes—fungus, bacterium, or virus.
• Blood tests: Tests may be ordered to rule out medical conditions such as lupus or hepatitis C infection.

Mild oral lichen planus usually goes away on its own by just avoiding triggering factors. Your doctor may monitor the condition and start treatment only if the symptoms get worse.

Treatment may include corticosteroids, which comes in many forms:

• Topical ointment
• Oral pills
• Injections directly into the patches

If your doctor suspects your immune system to be the reason for your oral lichen planus, they may prescribe medications targeting immunity, which include:

• Topical ointment or gel: You may need to apply medications such as calcineurin inhibitors over the patches.
• Oral pills: If you have patches in other areas of your body such as your scalp, esophagus, or genitals, you may have to take oral pills that target your immune system.