Efficacy of fluocinolone acetonide gel in the treatment of oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of fluocinolone acetonide gel 0.1% in 2 base forms (numbers 1 and 2) with fluocinolone acetonide in an oral base 0.1%. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-eight patients with histologically confirmed oral lichen planus were enrolled in the study. Lesions were scored ranging from 0 (no lesion) to 5 (large erosion) according to the severity. Patients were randomly given fluocinolone acetonide in an oral base, fluocinolone acetonide gel no. 1 or no. 2. They were asked to apply the medication on dried lesions 4 times a day. The lesions were evaluated after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. The severity scores were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis k-sample test. RESULTS: Patients who received fluocinolone acetonide in an oral base and those who received fluocinolone acetonide gel no. 1 and no. 2 improved from the average score of 3.0, 3.0, and 2.9 to 1.5, 1.5, and 1.6, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in score changes noted in the 3 groups. The results indicate that fluocinolone acetonide gel no. 1 and no. 2 and fluocinolone acetonide in an oral base provide similar efficacy in the treatment of oral lichen planus. CONCLUSION: Fluocinolone acetonide gel 0.1% is a safe and effective alternative therapy to fluocinolone acetonide in an oral base 0.1% in the treatment of oral lichen planus.