Dental Implants in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus: A Cross-Sectional Study Pia López-Jornet, PhD, MD, DDS; Fabio Camacho-Alonso, PhD, DDS; Mariano Sánchez-Siles, PhD, DDS ABSTRACT Purpose: The main aim of this study was to evaluate the patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and dental implants. Material and Methods: Three groups of 16 patients took part in the study. Group I patients had received dental implants and been diagnosed with OLP; Group II had not received implants but were diagnosed with OLP; Group III had implants but not OLP. Clinical observations and OLP symptoms were registered in each case. Periodontal pocket depth, implant mobility, bleeding upon probing, erythema, pain, and radiolucency around implants were measured. Patient quality of life was evaluated using OHIP 14. Results: Peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis were detected in 17.86% and 25% of the OLP-implant group, while the control group with implants showed 18% and 16%. The implant survival rate in patients treated for OLP did not appear to differ from the survival rate among the general population. Quality of life was better among patients with implants and without OLP (p = .001). Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that implants do not influence manifestations of OLP. OLP is not a risk factor for peri-implantitis. KEY WORDS: dental implants, oral lichen planus, oral mucosa, periodontitis INTRODUCTION Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of uncertain etiology. It is considered to be a cell-mediated immunological process, probably occur- ring in a predisposed population. 1–3 However, specific antigens evoking the immune response have not yet been defined. The mean prevalence of OLP in reports from different countries is 1.27%, with a prevalence of 0.96% in men and 1.57% in women. 4,5 Oral rehabilitation using dental implants is a well- established and widely used procedure all over the world. Tooth loss is accompanied by functional, esthetic and speech problems, occlusal alterations, as well as psychological problems, and restoration with dental implants is an option that offers numerous benefits. 6,7 Dental implants are increasingly used to replace missing teeth, and offer a success rate of around 90–95% after 10 years. 7–11 Most of the contraindications for implant placement relate to the quantity and quality of alveolar bone present, systemic diseases, and environ- mental problems such as smoking. To date, clear guide- lines regarding the placement of implants in patients suffering from oral mucosal diseases such as OLP have never been clearly established. 7–11 Although, the litera- ture contains many references to contraindications of implant treatment in patients with systemic diseases, in some instances such contraindications appear to be only theoretical. The current literature only includes a few comprehensive studies or case reports of patients with both OLP and dental implants. 8,12,13 While in the past, OLP was considered a contrain- dication for the placement of implants, one case study reports that the implants all osseointegrated successfully and that the manifestations of OLP did not worsen. 14 Furthermore, two of the cases showed significant improvement in terms of clinical symptoms and patient satisfaction. 15 Czerninski et al. 12 claim that implant success rates among patients with OLP are no different Professor, Department Oral Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Den- tistry, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain Reprint requests: Prof. Pía López-Jornet, Clínica Odontológica Uni- versitaria. Hospital Morales Meseguer, Adv. Marques de los Velez s/n Murcia 30008, Spain; e-mail: majornet@um.es © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI 10.1111/j.1708-8208.2012.00455.x 1