EFFICIENCY OF PLATELET-RICH PLASMA IN MANAGEMENT OF ORAL LICHEN PLANUS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Abstract

Background: Over the years, studies investigating platelet-rich plasma as a future therapy for oral lichen planus have been on the rise. However, thorough evaluation is required to determine its efficacy, since various studies are being carried out on diverse population with long-term follow-ups. Objective: To evaluate the current evidences to analyze the efficiency of platelet-rich plasma as a treatment modality for oral lichen planus. Material and Methods: This review adhered to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies published within the last eight years were screened across multiple databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. The studies eligible was: randomized controlled trials; cohort; and longitudinal designs comparing PRP with other treatment modalities of which six clinical studies were included which had 129 participants in total. Cochrane Risk of bias (RoB) tool was used for Visual analog scale values were pooled for meta-analysis. Meta-analyses were performed using fixed-effect models. Results: Clinically, both control and intervention groups exhibited a pooled mean difference of 0.61, 95% CI (0.22- 0.99). As there were variations within the studies, the fixed effects model was chosen for analysis. Comparative analysis of the results demonstrated that both the platelet-based therapies and the topical corticosteroid approach improved patient satisfaction and comparably reduced pain and lesion size in individuals with erosive OLP in similar measures. Conclusion: Oral lichen planus can be safely and perhaps effectively treated with platelet-rich plasma. Future studies should adopt a standardized approach in evaluating efficacy of PRP in OLP. Rigorous clinical trials less heterogeneity in the methodology is required for high-quality evidence.