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Oral lichen planus (OLP), a chronic inflammatory condition, can induce persistent oral pain and interfere with everyday activities, particularly eating.
Regular ibuprofen gargling is linked to early, sustained, and recurrent improvements in pain, eating ability, and overall oral symptoms in patients with oral lichen planus.
Oral lichen planus (OLP), a chronic inflammatory condition, can induce persistent oral pain and interfere with everyday activities, particularly eating. While topical analgesic therapies are commonly employed to mitigate symptoms, evidence on their long-term, patient-perceived benefits remains limited.
This secondary exploratory analysis used data from a single-center randomized crossover trial and its long-term extension studies to examine longer-term response patterns using predefined patient-reported outcome measures.
A randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial of an ibuprofen (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug [NSAID]) gargle previously showed that short-term analgesia measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) did not reach statistical significance, despite indications of functional improvement. The present study examined longer-term response patterns using predefined patient-reported outcome measures.
Researchers executed a secondary exploratory assessment of a single-center randomized crossover trial and its long-term extension studies. A total of 24 participants with OLP were followed through day 176. The analysis combined short-term VAS-based analgesic measures—VAS at baseline, 5 minutes, and 15 minutes (VAS0, VAS5, and VAS15)—with multidimensional symptom assessment using the 10-item Patient-Reported Oral Mucositis Symptom (PROMS) scale.
Predefined responder criteria were used to identify clinically relevant response patterns. Researchers also assessed time-to-first achievement (TFA) and examined symptom trajectories descriptively and visually throughout follow-up.
The findings showed a stronger response when overall symptoms and daily functioning were assessed rather than pain intensity alone.
Longitudinal visual assessments further suggested that symptom improvements often appeared within the early treatment period and were maintained or recurred during subsequent weeks in some participants.
Although ibuprofen gargling produced modest immediate analgesia, its longer-term patient-reported effects appeared more encouraging. Regular use was associated with early improvements in overall oral symptoms, pain, and eating-related function, with benefits that could persist or recur over time.
Yakugaku Zasshi
Long-Term Patient-Reported Symptom Control with an Ibuprofen Gargle in Oral Lichen Planus: An Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Crossover Trial and Extension
Takeshi Ioroi et al.
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