Introduction
The first histologically confirmed case of Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) in a
patient with chronic hepatitis C was reported in 1991 (1). A
meta-analysis integrating around forty studies showed that the hepatitis
c virus (HCV) -OLP association was significant (2). In addition, the
erosive form of OLP has been reported to be preferentially associated
with HCV infection (1). However, more recent studies have shown
significant variations in the OLP-HCV association according to patients’
age and geographic origin (3). In particular, the presence of the
broad-antigen serotype HLA-DR6 allele would be partly responsible for
variations in the HCV-OLP association depending on the geographical area
(4).
Hepatitis C virus is an enveloped RNA virus with an essentially hepatic
tropism(5). This virus, capable of causing chronic infection in humans,
is responsible for the hepatitis C epidemic, a severe consequence of
which concerns the occurrence of hepatic carcinoma. The recent
development of very effective antiviral molecules makes it possible
today to have very effective treatments to fight against hepatitis C.
However,
some of these antiviral therapies such as interferon-alpha (IFN-α) and
ribavirin therapy
were incriminated in the OLP onset (6).
This paper aims to highlight the importance of dentists’ role in
screening HCV infection associated with OLP, and the value of dental
care and follow-ups in relieving the patient and preventing malignant
transformation.