Comparison of salivary and plasma antioxidant levels in lichen planus patients and healthy subjects

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) 41: 524526 Introduction: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic, mucocutaneous, inflammatory disease. It has become more evident that the immune system plays a primary role in the development of this disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the total antioxidant status (TAS) of saliva and serum in patients with erosive OLP. Method and Materials: This study was designed as case-control. In total, 48 patients with erosive OLP (34 women and 14 men) were enrolled as case group, and 44 self-admitted healthy people (34 women and 10 men) were selected as control group. Measurement of total antioxidant status was carried out in saliva and plasma. t-test was used for statistical analysis with significant level set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean +/- SD of salivary TAS in case group was 0.98 +/- 0.12, and in control group was 1.32 +/- 0.18 mM, respectively, and there were significant differences between groups (P < 0.02). The mean +/- SD of the plasma TAS in the case group and the control group was 1.24 +/- 0.17 and 1.84 +/- 0.34 mM, respectively. There were significant differences between two groups (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Our results showed that salivary and plasma levels of total antioxidant status in erosive OLP patients were lower than those in healthy subjects.