Thalidomide: Clinical Implications in Oral Mucosal Lesions - An Update

Author(s):

Shamimul Hasan*, Shazina Saeed, Arpita Rai, Ansul Kumar, Priyadarshini Choudhary, Rajat Panigrahi and Pradyumna Kuma Sahu

Thalidomide is perhaps one of the most notorious drugs ever to have been used in clinical practice. The distressing teratogenicity resulted in sudden withdrawl of the drug about 55 years back. Recently, thalidomide has revoked the interest of researchers due to demonstrable significant improvement in certain clearly defined disorders. Because of its salient antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti-angiogenic potential, the drug has become extensively significant even in dental clinical practice. Currently, thalidomide is being used as therapeutic entity in severe aphthous stomatitis, Behcet’s syndrome, Erosive lichen planus, and oral features of HIV infection, Marshal Syndrome, orofacial granulomatosis and certain malignancies.