Oral Microbial and Metabolic Alterations in Patients With Oral Lichen Planus Concomitant With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Patients with co-occurring oral lichen planus and type 2 diabetes show reduced salivary alpha diversity, elevated Pseudomonas, and a distinct metabolic profile compared to controls and OLP-only patients.
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| Exposure | — |
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What the study showed
Alpha diversity (Chao1) was significantly lower in both disease groups versus controls; beta diversity showed no clear group separation. Pseudomonas abundance was elevated in the OLP+DM group and positively correlated with lesion severity. Limonin was decreased while thymine and epinephrine were increased in OLP+DM, correlating with severity and pain scores.
How it was done
Cross-sectional observational study with 60 participants (20 controls, 20 OLP, 20 OLP+DM); salivary samples analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics; associations assessed by Spearman correlation.
Risk of bias
Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference. Groups of only 20 participants each provide limited statistical power; the abstract does not report adjustment for confounders such as antidiabetic or anti-inflammatory medications.
What this study does NOT prove
The study does not prove that oral dysbiosis or metabolic alterations cause or worsen oral lichen planus in the context of diabetes.
In clinical practice
Findings are exploratory and do not support changes to current clinical management. Observational correlations between microbial/metabolic features and disease severity require validation in larger, longitudinal studies.
Limitations
Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference. Groups of only 20 participants each provide limited statistical power; the abstract does not report adjustment for confounders such as antidiabetic or anti-inflammatory medications.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-07-19 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0
Paid access: structured summary from public metadata; consult the original study at the source.