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Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811214
Original Article

Impact of Oral Lichen Planus on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

  • Soulafa Almazrooa 

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Waleed Alamoudi

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Sara Akeel

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Sarah Ali

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Nada Binmadi

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Sana Alhamed

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Ghada Mansour 

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Nada Alhindi

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Doha Aljeddawi

    2   Pediatric Dentistry Department, Ministry of Health, Madinah, Saudi Arabia

  • Reem Bashammakh

    3   Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Osama Felemban 

    4   Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

  • Hani Mawardi

    1   Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Abstract

Objectives

Lichen planus is a chronic, mucocutaneous inflammatory disorder that often affects oral tissues. It can cause discomfort and pain in affected individuals, thereby affecting their daily lives and ability to function. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the impact of oral lichen planus (OLP) on the quality of life (QoL) of a cohort of patients.

Materials and methods

This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study of patients with OLP attending the Oral Medicine Clinic, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Demographic data and disease activity score were collected, and eligible subjects were invited to complete the Chronic Oral Mucosal Disease Questionnaire, Oral Health Impact Profile, and Social and Readjustment Rating Scale.

Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows).

Results

Thirty-eight participants completed the study, 27 of whom were females with an average age of 52.2 years. The average OLP severity score was 21.3 (range: 3–49). Prior to OLP, most of the participants experienced life events amounting to either moderate (44.7%) or high stress (28.9%). Overall, 74% of patients with OLP experienced discomfort during oral hygiene routines and OLP-limited oral hygiene practices in 58% of participants. In addition, 92% experienced variable degrees of discomfort with specific types of food (e.g., spicy food) and 70% of study subjects required medications to manage OLP, which helped 90% of patients. Moreover, 75 and 85% of the patients were emotionally and socially affected by OLP, respectively, experiencing stress and anxiety.

Conclusion

Active and symptomatic OLP substantially impacts QoL, and stressful life events could trigger its development.

Keywords

oral lichen planus - quality of life - social change - psychometrics

Human Ethics and Consent to Participate

The Research Ethics Committee of KAUFD, Jeddah, granted ethical approval (#133-11-18). Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants.




Publication History

Article published online:
26 August 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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