Triamcinolone acetonide mouth rinses for treatment of erosive oral lichen planus: efficacy and risk of fungal over‐infection

Abstract

To assess the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide mouthrinse for treatment of erosive oral lichen planus (OLP), and to evaluate the risk of fungal over-infection. Clinical records of all cases of erosive and erosive-ulcerative OLP treated in our Oral Medicine Service over the period 1993-2003 were reviewed. All patients had been treated with mouthrinses containing triamcinolone acetonide at 0.3% (T1) or 0.5% (T2). Clinical outcome for each patient was classified at 1, 3 and 6 months after start of treatment as total remission (TR), partial remission (PR) or no remission (NR). Fungal over-infection was also recorded. A total of 35 cases were included in the study. Clinical outcomes considering both treatment groups together (T1 + T2) were as follows: at month 1, 28.6% TR, 62.9% PR, 8.6% NR; at month 3, 57.1% TR, 37.1% PR, 5.7% NR; and at month 6, 80.0% TR, 17.1% PR, 2.9% NR. In four patients (11.4%) fungal over-infection was noted during the study period. Triamcinolone acetonide mouthrinse is an appropriate treatment for erosive OLP, in view of the high efficacy and low risk of fungal over-infection.