To correlate the anxiety, depression, and symptoms of stress levels among patients affected by oral lichen planus and lichenoid reaction

Introduction: Psychosomatic factor-like depression and depressive symptoms play an important role in the causation of different forms of mucosal changes among which one of them is oral lichen planus (OLP). Oral diseases may be a direct expression of emotions or conflicts. The research aimed to provide a precise estimate by assessing anxiety, depression, and stress in OLP patients and lichenoid reaction (LR) as compared to healthy controls using a self-report scale questionnaire. Materials and Methods: This methodological cross-sectional study comprised of 150 subjects, 50 normal healthy controls (control), 50 patients with OLP, and 50 patients with LR were recruited. The outcome measures of this study were done with pretested, prestructured 21 multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate depression, stress, anxiety levels were assessed using respectively Beck Anxiety Questionnaire, Beck Depression Questionnaire, and Holmes and Rahe Stress Inventory Scales depending on how the questions were answered at the time of presentation (enrolment). Results: The mean anxiety, depression, and stress scores were significantly (P 0.05) between the OLP and LR groups. Conclusion: The present study's findings may help direct future management strategies for the patient with OLP and LR. It also helps to understand the patient's behavior in respect of anxiety, depression, and stress. Ministry of health and family welfare – Dental Education should enhance dentistry and give training on how to screen anxiety and depression among Oral disease patients and should develop guidelines to screen and treat depression and anxiety among such patients.