The role of dental restorative metals in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus.

Twenty-four subjects with oral lichen planus and twelve control subjects without oral mucosal disease were patch tested with dental restorative metals and selected metallic salts. Twenty-one percent of the lichen planus population exhibited a positive skin response to one or more challenge materials, as compared to 8% of the control population. It is concluded that oral lichen planus subjects show a higher correlation with delayed hypersensitivity to dental metals than a control population; however, a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be substantiated.