Pattern and presentation of oral white lesions

ABSTRACT

Oral white lesions are not uncommon and a significant number of patients are asymptomatic. The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern and presentation of oral white lesions in patients reporting at oral and maxillofacial surgery department of AFID. World Health Organization [WHO] guidelines for oral mucosal examination were used to record data of 100 patients who presented with oral white lesions. Biopsies were performed in lesions whose definitive diagnosis was deemed difficult purely on the basis of history and clinical examination. The mean age was 38 +/- 13years with 57[57%] males. Forty two [42%] patients were asymptomatic. The most frequent site was buccal mucosa [64%] and more than half of these lesions appeared white [57%] while others were yellowish white [18%], grey white [15%] and with areas of redness within the lesion [10%]. Among habits, smoking was most common. The most common lesion was lichen planus [28%] followed by frictional keratosis [15%] and oral submucous fibrosis [13%]. Other rare lesions were geographic tongue, mucosal burns, candidiasis. As some of these lesions are premalignant, it is imperative for the dental and medical professionals to familiarize with their pattern and presentation to effect early diagnosis and management