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Ingafou M, Leao JC et al. Oral diseases 2006; 12: 463–468

Most studies of OLP have been in USA and Scandinavia. This is the largest UK study to date of an OLP cohort, and records of 690 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Most patients were Caucasian and nearly 2/3 were female. Median age of onset was 53 for females and 48 for males. The commonest symptom was discomfort and soreness in 63% of patients, while 27% experienced no symptoms. Biopsy confirmation was obtained for 546 patients.

The commonest type of lesion was reticular in presentation (n=651) and on the buccal mucosa. Most patients had more than one type of lesion: 225 plaque-like, 78 papular, 256 atrophic, 16 ulcerative and 27 bullous. In 13% of patients, OLP lesions resolved in a median 3 yrs. In 10 patients with erosive and 3 with plaque-like lesions, oral squamous cell carcinoma later developed.