Zinc Finger Protein 510 Levels in the Saliva of Patients with Oral Lichen Planus Compared with Healthy Controls

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of zinc finger protein 510 (ZNF510) in the saliva of patients with oral lichen planus and healthy individuals in 2019. This cross-sectional analytical study was performed on 24 patients with oral lichen planus and 25 healthy individuals referred to the School of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, between June and October 2019. In the case group, the severity of lesions was determined according to the Thongprasom index. Unstimulated saliva was collected from the subjects and the samples were examined for the presence of the ZNF510 protein using ELISA method. The data were statistically analyzed through SPSS 23. For data analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the independent t-test, the independent samples Kruskal-Wallis test, and one-way analysis of variance were used. This study included 32 females (65.3%), and 17 males (34.7%). The subjects’ age range was between 23-70 years and the mean age of them was 46.26 ± 10.90 years. The mean ZNF510 (ppm) in the case group was 86.12 ± 34.88, while in the control group, it was 46.43 ± 23.32. The two groups were significantly different in terms of the mean ZNF510 (P <0.001). In patients with non-keratotic lichen planus, the mean ZNF510 was significantly higher than that in those with keratotic lesions (P = 0.028). Moreover, in patients with oral lichen planus, the severity of lesions according to the Thongprasom index was significantly and directly related to the ZNF510 concentration (P = 0.002). The concentration of ZNF510 protein in the saliva can be a good indicator for assessing the severity of oral lichen planus lesions and its diagnosis. However, its clinical application is possible only if extensive prospective studies are performed.