PATHOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH LICHEN PLANUS OF THE ORAL MUCOSA

Abstract

The aim of this project was to study the psychoemotional (anxiety) state of patients with the different clinical forms of oral lichen planus (OLP).

Methods: All 139 patients, who attended the Dental Therapeutics Department of the Tashkent State Dental Institute between September 2012 and September 2015, with the different clinical forms of OLP and who agreed to take part, were included in this study. Of the total, 36 patients had the typical form of OLP, 34 had the exudative-hyperemic form, 42 the erosive-ulcerous form and 27 the bullous form. A random selection of 40 patients without pathology of oral mucosa and skin were recruited as the control group. All patients gave informed written consent and the study was approved by the ethics committee of the Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education. The anxiety of patients with OLP was estimated using self- appraisal scale of Spielberg and Khanin (2002). We estimated the state of reactive anxiety – RA and personal anxiety – PA (as stable personal characteristics). The appraisal scale includes 20 questions (10 of them characterize emotions, tension, anxiety, preoccupation, and 10 characterize absence of anxiety), which the patients evaluated themselves. Scores of 30 and lower are considered as low anxiety, 31-45 as moderate anxiety, 46 and higher as high anxiety. Differences between the control and OLP group were tested using the Student t test. The level for a statistically significant difference was set at p<0.05.

Results: In the control group RA was low in 26 patients (65±7.5%) and RA was moderate in 14 patients (35±7.5%). The mean RA for the control group was 36.6 ±2.7 and was considered as moderate anxiety. For patients with OLP, 39 had a low level (28±3.8), 88 (63.3±2.3) a moderate level RA and 12 (8.6±2.3) a high level. The mean PA for the control group was 37.8 (+1.8) and in the OLP group it was 62.3 (+ 2.8). The RA and PA for each form of OLP has not yet been calculated.

Conclusions: Patients with OLP reported higher rates of RA and PA than those in the control group. RA was 31.9% (p<0.05) higher and PA was 64.7% (p<0.05) higher. There was a progressive increase of RA and PA with increase severity of OLP suggesting the possible need for “soft” psychomotor medication in the treatment of such patients.