Serum Vitamin D Levels in Oral Lichen Planus: A Case-control Study from a Tertiary Care Dental Hospital, Haryana, India

Introduction: Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a chronic immunemediated disease with malignant potential. Immune-mediated pathogenesis is widely discussed. Vitamin D is known for its action on the immune system, and alterations in the vitamin D receptor are seen in OLP. Aim: To evaluate serum vitamin D levels in patients with OLP and compare them with age and sex-matched controls without oral mucosal lesions. Materials and Methods: The present hospital-based casecontrol study was conducted at the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India. A total of 56 participants, that is, 28 cases and 28 controls, were included in the study. Serum vitamin D levels were analysed using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit. Factors such as age, sex, diet, sun exposure and residence, along with anthropometric factors such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and central obesity, were recorded for all participants. The Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables, while the independent samples t-test was used to compare mean vitamin D levels between the groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between vitamin D levels and OLP after adjusting for age and sex. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was more frequent among cases than controls; however, the difference was not statistically significant (Odds Ratio (OR)=1.78, p=0.284). The mean serum vitamin D level was significantly lower among cases (17.4±6.51 ng/mL) than among controls (22.3±9.87 ng/mL) (p=0.031, Cohen’s d=-0.59). In the logistic regression model predicting case status and adjusted for age and sex, higher vitamin D levels were significantly associated with lower odds of being in the case group (OR=0.917, 95% CI: 0.847–0.992, p=0.032). Conclusion: Lower serum vitamin D levels were observed among patients with OLP compared to age and sex-matched healthy controls, suggesting a possible association between hypovitaminosis D and OLP.