Oral lichen planus and hepatitis C virus infection.

OBJECTIVE

This investigation was conducted to determine the possible association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) in the population of São Paulo (Brazil).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Three groups of patients were studied: group 1 was composed of 68 patients with OLP lesions; group 2 had 126 patients with HCV infection; and the control group consisted of 898 individuals seeking dental treatment at our school, used to determine the prevalence of lichen planus in the general population. The prevalence of HCV in group 1 was determined and compared with that of the population of São Paulo (Focaccia et al (1998) Brazilian J Infect Dis 2: 269), while the prevalence of OLP in group 2 was determined and compared with that of the control group.

RESULTS

The results showed that the frequency of HCV in OLP patients was 8.8%, significantly higher than in the general population of São Paulo, which is 1.4% (P = 0.002), and the frequency of OLP in HCV patients (4.7%) was also significantly higher (P = 0.0003) than that of the control group (0.6%).

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that, at least in São Paulo, there is an association between OLP and HCV infection.