Familial oral lichen planus in a 3-year-old boy: a case report with eight years of follow-up

Abstract

Background Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous disease characterized by adult predominance and a prolonged course. However, it is rare in the pediatric population with familial aggregation. Case presentation A 3-year-old boy presented with pain and irritation on the oral mucosa while contacting spicy food for 2 months. Oral examination showed widespread whitish reticular and papular lesions on the lips, the dorsum of the tongue, and bilateral buccal mucosa, with diffuse erosions covered with pseudomembrane on the buccal mucosa. The boy’s parents were examined to exhibit white reticular and plaque-like lesions on their oral mucosa. The three patients were clinically diagnosed as affected by OLP and histopathologically confirmed. The boy underwent topical treatment with recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) gel, and oral lesions gradually resolved and healed. Neither of his parents received treatment. During the subsequent follow-ups, none of three patients underwent any medical treatment. Fortunately, their lesions had almost faded over 8 years. Conclusions Our case emphasizes that pediatric OLP should be recorded with family history. Besides, long-term periodic follow-up is recommended in pediatric patients with OLP for monitoring any changes in lesions.

Evaluating the Frequency of Histopathological Features of Oral and Cutaneous Lichen Planus Lesions: A Retrospective- Comparative Study

“…In addition, basal cell layer degeneration was detected in all samples of the present study, which was severe in most CLP cases but moderate in the majority of OLP lesions. In many studies, including the current research, basal cell degeneration was observed in 100% of samples [7,11,12,16,25]. However, low amounts were reported in some studies, including the research by Rampal (81.7%) [18] In a research by Chatterjee et al, which was performed on OLP lesions of subjects below the age of 18, basal cell layer degeneration was observed in all samples, which was moderate and mild in 63.64% and 36.36% of the cases, respectively [26] .…”

Familial oral lichen planus: A new risk group for oral cancer?

“…While the incidence of familial LP reportedly varies from 1% to 11% of all LP patients (Bermejo‐Fenoll & Lopez‐Jornet, 2006), familial OLP is even less common (Lu et al., 2016). Between 1970 and 2020 there were publications on less than 50 families with familial LP, some with oral involvement [17–20], (Bermejo‐Fenoll & Lopez‐Jornet, 2006; Lu et al., 2016: Singal, 2005; Wang et al., 2020). In the current study we describe 20 families with familial OLP.…”

Non-Coding RNAs as Potential Targets for Diagnosis and Treatment of Oral Lichen Planus: A Narrative Review

“…Although a pediatric OLP population has been reported [13], familial cases are very rare. OLP predominantly affects adults, especially women after the fourth decade of life [14].…”