Abstract:

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease that targets adults. Over the years, few reports documented solitary cases of children being affected by oral lichen planus. In this report, a case of an 8-year-old, medically uncompromised boy who complained of a severe burning sensation in the tongue with a history of one year of remission and exacerbation was presented. When examined, the tongue showed a large irregular superficial non-indurated ulcer occupying the whole anterior 2/3 of the tongue sparing the tip and was surrounded by white radiating lines. The ulcerative lesion showed a peculiar butterfly pattern. Histopathological examination of the incisional biopsy showed intraepithelial civatte bodies and dense subepithelial lymphocytic infiltrate arranged in a pseudo-lymphomatous shape. Although the clinical and histological pictures suggest lichen planus, the atypical arrangement of lymphocytes brought up a question mark. This report demonstrates a peculiar clinical picture of a rare disease combined with a unique histopathologic finding.

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