White lesions of the oral mucosa

ABSTRACT

A simple definition of a mucosal white lesion would be "a lesion which appears clinically whiter than the surrounding mucosa." Mucosal white lesions are to be taken seriously because a small proportion of these are known to possess malignant potential which often pose a diagnostic challenge even to an experienced clinician. Differentiation between white lesions with a potential is therefore of paramount importance. When in doubt, the clinician should always perform a biopsy of the lesion and seek a histopathologic report (AU)