Objective: Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is known to be persistent and resistant to treatment. Corticosteroids are the preferred mode of intervention in OLP, long courses of which have been shown to cause adverse effects. The goal of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of Lycopene and of Levamisole in the management of Oral Lichen Planus. Methods: 50 symptomatic OLP patients satisfying the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into two groups (A and B). Group A patients were administered lycopene 8mg / day in two divided doses for 8 weeks. Group B patients were administered levamisole 50mg in cyclic dosage i.e. thrice daily for 3 consecutive days followed by no drug for next four days; for 8 weeks. The patients were scored at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for symptoms and Tel-Aviv San Francisco (TASF) scale for overall response to treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated measures of ANOVA, Z test and chi square test. Results: Substantial reduction in pain and burning sensation was observed in both the groups at the end of treatment. A more potent therapeutic effect was observed in lycopene group. Specifically, 18 out of 25 (72%) patients in this group showed 50% or more improvement while 12 out of 25 (48%) patients showed 70-100% improvement. In levamisole group, 11 out of 25 (44 %) and 1 out of 25 patients showed 50% or more, and 70-100% improvement. No adverse effects were reported in either group. Conclusion: When used as monotherapeutic agents, both lycopene and levamisole were found to be safe and effective alternatives for treatment of Oral Lichen Planus. Lycopene demonstrated a faster and more potent therapeutic effect compared to levamisole. The results of this research motivate further studies with larger sample size to evaluate these drugs in the treatment of OLP.

No abstract