Objective：To investigate the expression of Egr-1 and TNF-α in normal oral mucosa（NOM） and oral lichen planus（OLP） and their correlation. Methods：Using immunohistochemistry and Western blot technique，the expressions of early growth response gene-1（Egr-1） and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） in the tissues samples（30 cases of NOM tissues and 30 cases of OLP tissues） were detected. Results：（1）In epithelial lamina Egr-1 and TNF-α had expressed both in NOM and OLP，the expression of Egr-1 was no significant difference in the two groups（P>0.05），the expression of TNF-α in OLP group was significantly higher than that in NOM group（P<0.05）；in lamina propria the expression of Egr-1 and TNF-α in OLP group was significantly higher than that in NOM group （P<0.05）. （2）The expressed quantity of Egr-1 and TNF-α in OLP group was significantly higher than that in NOM group（P<0.05）.（3）The expression of Egr-1 and TNF-α in OLP showed a positive correlation（r=0.447，P＜0.05）. Conclusion：Egr-1 and TNF-α were one of the most important factor of OLP，TNF-α excess release of OLP onset may be caused by Egr-1 regulation；The mechanism of action remains to be further studied.