Implant-Retained Overdenture for a Patient With Severe Lichen Planus: A Case Report With 3 Years' Follow-Up and a Systematic Review.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to describe a new case using implant-retained overdentures in a patient with severe oral lichen planus (OLP) and to perform a literature review to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of implant rehabilitation in OLP patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In our patient with erosive OLP, restoration was performed with implant-retained overdentures using the Locator attachment system (Zest Anchors, Escondido, CA). Our case showed favorable restorative results and excellent implant osseointegration with acceptable marginal bone resorption during the follow-up period of 3 years. We performed a literature search of the PubMed (Medline), Embase, and Cochrane databases for articles published between 1990 and 2018 using the key terms "oral lichen planus" and "implant."

RESULTS

This search identified 13 publications, including 9 single case reports or case series and 4 small-scale controlled studies. A total of 86 OLP patients and 259 dental implants were analyzed. The survival rate of implants was 95.8% during a follow-up period ranging from 1 to 13 years.

CONCLUSION

Dental implants seem to be an acceptable and reliable treatment option in patients with OLP. Nevertheless, clinical information on this topic is still scarce, and more well-designed randomized studies are needed to define the benefits and risks of implant rehabilitation in OLP patients.