Hepatitis B and C Virus Infection and Oral Lichen Planus: A Report from Saudi Arabia

The aim of the present investigation was to verify the possible association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B (HBV) infection among patients attending Oral Medicine Clinic at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Serum samples of 40 patients with OLP and 27 controls without OLP, whose age and gender were matched, were screened for the presence of hepatitis B and C virus infection. Findings showed that 25 % of OLP group had HCV and 7.5% HBV infection, whereas only 14.8 % of the control group had HCV and none had HBV. A suggestion can be drawn that until a clear understanding of the relationship between these diseases, all OLP patients should be routinely screened for these viruses.King Saud Universit