Oral Lichen Planus: The Difficulty in Diagnosis

Course overview

Diagnosis and treatment of OLP with patients who have several types of lesions can be difficult. Determining what treatment modalities to use and how to monitor them will be discussed. New treatment modalities with current information from the AAOM World Workshop 2022 on Oral Lichen Planus will be covered. Some treatment modalities will be presented with new information from other countries that we are learning more about. Learn how incorrect diagnosis of lichen planus is an issue, and some environmental/local factors that play a role in continued problems. Identify proper patient education and home care treatments. Quality of life is significantly altered by years of progressive lichen planus that is treated with little change in the progression of the lesions. Making some minor changes may have a huge impact in the quality of life for these patients. Sometimes a misdiagnosis enters the picture, and patients may see multiple providers for years before any change occurs. They may discover that they need treatment for another mucosal disease instead of or in addition to lichen planus. We will discuss links to support groups to further assist your patient.