The evaluation of cutaneous, genital, scalp, nail, esophageal, and ocular involvement in patients with oral lichen planus

Abstract

Objective. Lichen planus, in its classical presentation, involves the oral cavity and skin. This study evaluated patients with oral lichen planus for extraoral manifestations of the disease. Study design. A total of 584 patients with oral lichen planus were evaluated for cutaneous, genital, scalp, nail, esophageal, and ocular lichen planus. Results. Extraoral manifestations included cutaneous lichen planus in 93 patients, genital lichen planus in 19% of 399 examined women and 4.6% of 174 examined men, nail involvement in 11 patients, lichen planopilaris in 6 patients, esophageal lichen planus in 6 patients, and conjunctival lichen planus in 1 patient. Thirty-three patients developed lichen planus in 3 or more sites. Conclusions. Because a relatively high percentage of patients with oral lichen planus develop extraoral manifestations, a thorough evaluation should routinely be performed. A complete history and physical examination by a multidisciplinary group of health care providers uncovers common and uncommon extraoral features of the disease. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 1999;88:431-6)