A new treatment option for lichen planus – a pilot study

Lichen planus is a relatively common disorder, estimated to effect 0.5–2.0% of the general population. It is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting mucosal and cutanous tissue. Various treatment regimens have been designed to improve management of symptomatic oral lichen planus but permanent cure is not yet possible. The extract of curcumin plant have been a major ingredient of medicine since the time immemorial. It has been attributed a number of medicinal properties in the traditional systems of the medicine. Turmeric and its ingredients, curcumin are being studied as chemo preventive agent that inhibits the development of oral cancer, curcumin and essential oil of turmeric have been found to inhibit many diseases processes through their ant inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties. Hence this was under taken to investigate the role of curcumin longa as an alternative means of treatment of the oral lichen planus. An immunosuppressive agent affects the severity and progression of oral LP but theatrically they could al so trigger malignant transformation.

Material and methods: A pilot study was conducted in the Department of Oral and Mxillofacial surgery. The 10 patients were included in the study, they were clinically diagnosed and histipathologically confirmed as patients of oral lichen planus. The extract of turmeric in the ointment form was made at NBRI, used for local application twice/day for a period of 3 months. The patients were instructed to report after every 15th day for check up and to collect the ointment.

Results: The severity of the clinical sign and symptoms were entered in the set proforma. The data was collected tabulated and analyzed. Significant improvement was observed in the clinical symptoms of the patients. Above all it was well tolerated no adverse reaction was observed.

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Jan 21, 2018 | Posted by in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | Comments Off on A new treatment option for lichen planus – a pilot study

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