To detect the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in oral lichen planus (OLP).

Thirty OLP patients and fifteen healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum were collected from 15 healthy volunteers as controls. Normal tissues were collected from surgical department as immunohistochemical analysis. The levels of VEGF, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 in serum were measured by ELISA. Immunohistochemical analysis of VEGF, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 were carried out by the means of primary antibodies and anti-VEGF, anti-CD106 antigen (VCAM-1) and anti-CD54 antigen (ICAM-1).

ELISA results showed no expression differences for VEGF between the two groups. Whereas, the levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 in OLP group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical results reveal the presence of a significant angiogenesis in OLP patients through the immunoexpression of VEGF, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 according to the percentage of stained cells (P < 0.05).

Regarding the results, it seems that high expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 are related to oral lichen planus.

To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment experience of Vitamin B₁₂ (VB₁₂) deficient patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) to improve the clinical efficacy.

A retrospective analysis was performed on 15 cases of recurrent oral ulcers from January 2016 to September 2018. The causes were analyzed according to the patients’clinical characteristics.

In total, 15 patients with RAU had no remission after routine immunotherapy. Further clinical examination suggested that vitamin B₁₂ levels were reduced. The erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was significantly increased, and the average number of red blood cells (RBC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels were decreased. RAU disappeared after vitamin B₁₂ supplementation. Routine blood work showed that the MCV returned to the normal range, which was statistically significant compared with the pretreatment MCV (P < 0.001). Vitamin B₁₂ serum levels were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those before treatment.

When the main manifestation of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency is recurrent oral ulcer symptoms, dentists should examine the lesions carefully, inquire about the medical history in detail, and perform further serological tests when necessary to avoid the over-use of immunosuppressive drugs for treatment.