Immunological methods for the diagnosis of oral mucosal diseases

Summary

The immunological methods have been widely used in autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) of the oral mucosa, which can also be adopted as auxiliary diagnostic tools in oral lichen planus (OLP) and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). AIBDs, characterized by autoantibodies against structural proteins of keratinocytes or the basement membrane zone, clinically presents as blisters and erosions of the oral mucosa. When atypical lesions occur, OLP or DLE may be confused with AIBDs.

The improvement of diagnostic accuracy is necessary due to the significant differences in treatment and prognosis among these diseases. A variety of immunological methods are used for qualitative and quantitative detection of target antigens and autoantibodies, which can evaluate efficacy of treatment, monitor diseases and guide treatment decisions.

In this review, we discussed the application of immunofluorescence, biochemical tests, and protein microarrays for AIBDs, OLP and DLE, and the differential diagnostic methods using immunological tests.

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