Abstract
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous disease, well described clinically and histologically, but the etiology remains unknown. Various systemic and/or local predisposing factors have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of OLP. Saliva and its constituents play an important role in the homeostasis of the oral cavity, and alterations either in its quantity or quality might contribute to various oral diseases and disturbances. In 30 patients with OLP (age range 30-62, mean 52), diagnosis was made on the basis of histopathological and clinical findings. The control group consisted of 28 participants (age range 23-27, mean 24). Each participant collected saliva using the simple method of spitting unstimulated whole saliva into calibrated tubes (0, 1 ml) during a five minute period between 8-11 A.M. Salivary peroxidase levels were determined according to Putter and Becker. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, and Student t-test p-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. No significant differences between patients with OLP and controls in salivary flow rate as well as in salivary peroxidase levels were found. Our results might indicate that neither salivary flow rate nor salivary peroxidase level contribute to the pathogenesis of OLP.
