Therapeutic effect of proton pump inhibitor (Omeprazole) on homogenous leukoplakia with clinico-fractal analysis: A pilot study

Abstract

Background: Oral leukoplakia is a white patch or plaque that cannot be characterized clinically or pathologically as any other disease and is not associated with any physical or chemical causative agent except the use of tobacco. The prevalence of leukoplakia in India varies from 0.2% to 4.9% with variable clinical pattern and tendency towards malignant transformation. Current treatment strategies for oral leukoplakia include chemotherapeutic and surgical approaches. Aim and Objective: The study was done to compare the clinical and therapeutic effects of proton pump inhibitor therapy and vitamin-A therapy in oral leukoplakia. Setting and Design: Hospital based in-vivo prospective study. Materials and Method: The study compared two treatment groups; Proton pump inhibitor therapy-(Omeprazole - 20 mg) and vitamin-A therapy (200000 I.U.). The clinical assessment (size and surface texture), salivary pH and fractal dimension values were compared in pre-treatment and post-treatment periods. Statistical Analysis: SPSS® 25.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was used for statistical analysis. Mean, standard deviation and independent t test were calculated. Results: The clinical assessment of pre-treatment and post-treatment revealed reduction in size and surface roughness in both the groups. The salivary pH and fractal dimension showed significant alterations in post treatment period of both groups but the P value (0.949) was not significant between the groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the efficacy of proton pump inhibitor therapy for oral leukoplakia in comparison with vitamin-A therapy. The study revealed reduction in the size, roughness of oral leukoplakia and alteration of salivary pH with proton pump inhibitor therapy.

Keywords

• fractal
• leukoplakia
• omeprazole
• vitamin-a