A comprehensive documentation on sociodemographic data of patients with oral lichen planus in a teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune condition of the oral mucosa with significant variation in pathophysiology. Accordingly, the present study aims to evaluate the socio-demographic profile of OLP patients in an eastern Indian population, examining the interplay between socio-economic status (SES), lifestyle factors, and disease characteristics.

METHODS

This prospective study was conducted at a teaching hospital in eastern India from January 2019 to February 2022. Out of 1589 diagnosed OLP patients, 546 voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. We collected socio-demographic data, such as age, gender, education level, occupation, income, lifestyle habits, and comorbidity, through structured interviews and medical records. We performed statistical analyses using SPSS 20.0 software to identify significant associations between these variables and the clinical features of OLP.

RESULTS

Among the 546 participants, 54.02% were women and 45.97% were men, with the highest prevalence (40.10%) in the middle aged adult group (31-40 years). Furthermore, the majority of participants came from lower castes (64.64%), belonged to a lower socio-economic class (45.60%), and over 53% were involved in agricultural farming and daily labor. From a lifestyle perspective, 53.39% of participants were highly addicted to paan, gutka, cigarettes, and alcohol. Common comorbidities included hypertension (18.68%), diabetes (16.84%), thyroid disorders (10.62%), and past hepatitis C infection history (16.84%). Approximately 70.69% experienced stress, anxiety, and depression, while 21.79% frequently encountered chronic trauma post-OLP development.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights OLP prevalence and severity in a teaching hospital, where lower socio-economic status and lifestyle factors, such as tobacco use, comorbidities, and hepatitis C infection, are significantly associated with OLP manifestations.