Leukokeratosis nicotinica; tobacco/snuff and tobacco smoking-pre-cancerous and malignant potentials

Leukokeratosis nicotinica is keratosis found in the oral mucosa of chronic chain smokers especially pipe smokers and commonest in the palate. There is no sex predilection so far as the smoking habit is chronic. The lesion is also known as nicotine stomatitis and smoker's keratosis. Though leukokeratosis nicotinica is not ranked mainly as precancerous lesion; it may have some degrees of dyplastic changes indicative of premalignancy and in some cases carcinoma in situ