Gustatory function and taste perception in patients with oral lichen planus and tongue involvement.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to evaluate if patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and tongue involvement have impaired taste function and if there is an association to the perception of pain.


METHODS
The test group included patients with OLP and involvement of the tongue without treatment (n = 20). Control subjects had no mucosal or systemic disease affecting taste function and were matched for age and gender (n = 20). Patients' intraoral pain and subjective perception of taste were recorded on a visual analog scale. Taste function was assessed by means of the "taste strips."


RESULTS
Measured taste function was slightly but significantly decreased in OLP patients compared to control subjects (p = 0.01). Self-rated taste perception did not differ in both groups (p = 0.8). Post hoc analysis showed that particularly the taste quality "sour" was most affected by the OLP status (p = 0.01). There were no correlations between pain and subjective/objective taste perception.


CONCLUSIONS
Untreated OLP subjects have lower gustatory function, which they are not aware of.


CONCLUSIONS
Impaired gustatory function in patients with OLP may affect patient's quality of life. Further studies on larger samples sizes are requested.
Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
Valerie G A
VG
Suter
Department for ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Simona
S
Negoias
Department for ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Hergen
H
Friedrich
Department for ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.|Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Basile N
BN
Landis
Department for ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Marco-Domenico
MD
Caversaccio
Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. michael.bornstein@zmk.unibe.ch.
Michael M
MM
Bornstein
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000503:physiopathology*
Oral lichen planus; Pain; Taste; Tongue; Treatment