ORAL LEUKOPLAKIA - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL REVIEW

Leukoplakia is the most common premalignant or potentially malignant l esion of the oral mucosa. It seems preferable to use the term leukopla kia as a clinical term only. When a biopsy is taken, the term leukopla kia should be replaced by the diagnosis obtained histologically. The a nnual percentage of malignant transformation varies in different parts of the world, probably as a result of differences in tobacco and diet ary habits. Although epithelial dysplasia is an important predictive f actor of malignant transformation, it should be realized that not all dysplastic lesions will become malignant. On the other hand non-dyspla stic lesions may become malignant as well. In some parts of the world the tongue and the floor of the mouth can be considered to be high-ris k sites with regard to malignant transformation of leukoplakia, while this does not have to be the case in other parts of the world. The ces sation of tobacco habits, being the most common known aetiological fac tor of oral leukoplakia, has been shown to be an effective measure wit h regard to the incidence of leukoplakia and, thereby, the incidence o f oral cancer as web. Screening for oral precancer may be indicated in individuals at risk. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.