Oral lichen planus in a dermatomyositis patient that resolved after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy

Abstract

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune muscle disorder characterized by proximal muscle weakness and skin lesions. The significance to oral health professionals includes oral manifestations and increased incidence of malignancy that might occur in the oral cavity. Reports of oral mucosal involvement in DM are scanty. When they are published, there is often a clinical description of "resembling lichen planus" or "leukoplakia-like" without histologic evaluation. This makes it difficult to establish the definitive diagnosis of these oral lesions and formulate treatment options. It is also difficult to assess the relationship between oral lesions and oral malignancy in this patient population. We report a DM patient who presented with clinical and histologic features of lichen planus of the buccal mucosa that resolved with intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for DM.