title: Efficacy of tacrolimus and clobetasol in the treatment of oral lichen planus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: This study was carried out to assess and compare the efficacy of tacrolimus and clobetasol in the treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP). The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Journals, and Elsevier databases were searched using specific keywords relevant to the research question for articles published from 1998 to December 31, 2012. Finally, 15 articles that assessed the effects of tacrolimus, clobetasol, and pimecrolimus on improvements in OLP were reviewed. In addition, a meta-analysis of odds ratios (ORs) was carried out for data in 10 of the 15 articles. The results showed that the ORs for improvements in OLP in patients taking clobetasol or tacrolimus, compared with those taking placebo or other drugs, were 1.19 and 8.00, respectively. It appears that topical tacrolimus is an effective alternative to topical clobetasol and may be considered as a first-line therapy in the management of OLP.
authors.affiliation: Orofacial Pain Clinic, Department of Oral Medicine, Dental School, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Goli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chamani
authors.affiliation: Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rad
authors.affiliation: Orofacial Pain Clinic, Department of Oral Medicine, Dental School, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zarei
authors.affiliation: Orofacial Pain Clinic, Department of Oral Medicine, Dental School, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Sodabeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lotfi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Modeling in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoumeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.affiliation: Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D065095:Calcineurin Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002990:Clobetasol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D065095:Calcineurin Inhibitors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; C117268:pimecrolimus; D002990:Clobetasol; D016559:Tacrolimus