Evaluation of Triamcinolone Acetonide and Curcumin Lozenges in Patients With Erosive Lichen Planus: A Pilot Clinical Study

Background Oral erosive lichen planus is an autoimmune-mediated mucocutaneous disorder that manifests as painful ulcerative lesions present bilaterally on the buccal mucosa, tongue, and lips. To date, there is no single definitive treatment for oral lichen planus (OLP). Corticosteroids have been the mainstay of treatment; however, their usage is associated with potential side effects. Curcumin, a plant-based herbal medicament, can be a safer alternative to these synthetic drugs. Hence, the aim of the present study was to compare and evaluate the effect of curcumin lozenges and topical corticosteroids for the treatment of erosive lichen planus lesions. Material and methods Twenty patients were included in the study and were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in Group 1 were given triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% for topical application along with multivitamin capsules, and patients in Group 2 were given turmeric lozenges (Turmnova, Gelnova Laboratories (India) Pvt. Ltd., Navi Mumbai, India) along with multivitamin capsules. Improvement in pain intensity was recorded on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at baseline and on subsequent visits after one week and two weeks, and clinical healing was evaluated after two weeks. All the data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) using the Mann-Whitney test, where p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results In our study, curcumin lozenges have shown similar improvement in the severity of pain after one week and two weeks when compared with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% paste. Curcumin has shown promising results by decreasing the lesion size, pain, and burning sensation. Hence, it can be a new ray of hope in minimizing the signs and symptoms of OLP with minimal side effects.