Abstract

LUNA, M et al. Asociación de liquen plano bucal con virus de  Hepatitis C en una muestra de la población venezolana. Acta odontol. venez [online]. 2007, vol.45, n.2, pp.192-197. ISSN 0001-6365.

Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease that frequently involves the oral mucosa. Recent studies have confirmed a significant association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and liver diseases, in particular with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of OLP  in patients with HCV infection. We evaluated 67 patients with HCV infection detected for anti-HCV by immunosorbent assay ELISA (third generation) confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) HCV-RNA Only one of 67 HCV positive patients was clinically and histologically positive for OLP. We concluded that although cases of oral lichen planus associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been described, the association between the two diseases has not been established in the Venezuelan population, because the geographic origin of patients could play an important role in HCV prevalence in patients with OLP.

Keywords : Hepatitis C virus; oral lichen planus.