title: A retrospective clinicopathological study of 550 patients with oral lichen planus in south-eastern Spain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study describes the clinicopathological characteristics of a group of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) in south-eastern Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective descriptive study was made of 550 patients clinically and histopathologically diagnosed with OLP in the period 1991-2007. Patient gender, age, the prevalence of hepatitis C, symptoms and malignization were recorded. The clinical forms were classified as reticular-papular and atrophic-erosive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 550 patients, 128 (23.3%) were men and 422 (76.7%) women. The mean age was 56.35 +/- 13.67 years (range 14-91). The prevalence of hepatitis C was 3.5%. The red clinical forms were the most frequent, with 359 cases (64.2%). The lesions were asymptomatic in 159 patients (28.9%). Five patients developed oral squamous cell carcinoma (0.9%); none of these subjects was smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with OLP present different clinical manifestations. Women were more frequently affected by the disease, and the malignant transformation rate was under 1%.
authors.affiliation: Mariano Sánchez-Siles, Clínica Odontológica Universitaria, Medicina Bucal, Hospital Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bermejo-Fenoll
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Siles
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López-Jornet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Camacho-Alonso
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salazar-Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult