Scoring system for monitoring oral lichenoid lesions: A preliminary study

Abstract

Background. Currently, there is no universal system for scoring the severity of lichenoid lesions of the oral cavity that is easy to use, reproducible and that is representative of the different clinical forms of the disease. Objectives. In this study, a scoring system was developed to monitor the severity of oral lichen planus (OLP) and chronic oral graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Methods. Six patients with OLP and three with cGVHD were studied. This scoring system was utilized to compare the severity of disease within and between patients. Three investigators independently reviewed photographs taken from each patient and scored the severity of disease. Inter and intra-observer consistency was evaluated using the Spearman rank correlation analyses. Results. Intra-observer reliability was 0.98 (Spearman correlation coefficient) and inter-observer reliability was 1.00. Conclusion. This scoring system is easy-to-use, reproducible, representative of the severity of the disease and useful for monitoring OLP and cGVHD. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.