Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the photodynamic therapy (PDT) in comparison with topical corticosteroids upon immune regulatory cells of patients oral lichen planus.
Subjects and methods: Twenty patients with clinical and histological diagnosis of EOLP were divided into two equal groups. Group A: (control group) were instructed to use topical corticosteroid, Group B :( study group) received PDT using diode laser 635 nm mediated by toluidine blue (TB), and before starting the treatment five milliliters of peripheral venous blood was taken from both patients groups and withdrawn into an EDTA- containing test tube to prevent coagulation. These procedures were performed after three months and six months of treatment for both topical corticosteroids and PDT treated patients to detect changes occurs before and after treatment.
Results: a statistically significant difference was reported between baseline and follow -up periods. Where both groups showed a remarkable reduction in pain, size of lesions, and CD4:CD8 ratio showed statistically significant decrease during follow up periods.
Conclusions: Photodynamic therapy is an effective treatment and it can be considered as an alternative method for TC in treatment of erosive-atrophic OLP and effectively regulates the distribution of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells
Keywords: oral lichen planus, photodynamic therapy, topical steroid, immune regulatory cells.