Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus of the oral cavity: report of two cases.

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus is a depigmenting mucocutaneous disease most frequently affecting the female genitalia. Genital lesions are symptomatic and may be functionally debilitating. Oral lesions are of little significance other than the esthetic concerns of perioral lesions. In view of the rarity of reported cases, one lesion of the labial mucocutaneous area and a second of the palate are presented along with a description of the disease's clinical and histopathologic findings and a brief review of the literature. The lip lesion was partially resolved with topical corticosteroids and was then fully eliminated with topical testosterone. Histologic verification and examination for the simultaneous occurrence or absence of oral and the more common genital-cutaneous lesions is essential if meaningful information in the medical-dental literature is to be obtained in the future.