Current concepts of leukoplakia
Waldron, C.A.; Shafer, W.G.
International Dental Journal 10: 350-367
1960
ISSN/ISBN: 0020-6539 PMID: 13782659 Document Number: 8641
A review of recent publications on leukoplakia shows that there is considerable confusion regarding the use of this term. To many authors, 'leukoplakia' is a clinical term used to designate a white patch on the oral mucosa. Others utilize the term leukoplakia' for a microscopic diagnosis and require that the lesion show certain definite histologic features, principally dyskeratosis. Most workers consider leukoplakia to be a premalignant lesion although the estimated frequency of malignant transformation varies from only a small percentage to nearly 100 per cent. Part of this difference is due to confusion as to definition of the term leukoplakia' i.e., whether the authors use the term clinically for a white patch or microscopically for a lesion showing cellular atypism. Although there is considerable information on leukoplakia in the recent literature, there are very few well-documented clinico-pathologic studies relating to the course and prognosis of this condition. From the information available, it would appear that only a small minority of lesions which appear as clinical leukoplakia will show the histologic features required by some for the restricted microscopic diagnosis of leukoplakia. To most clinicians, leukoplakia is a well-established clinical term. Attempts to redefine this clinical term on strict histologic grounds may be regarded as questionable. There appears to be considerable justification for the suggestion that the term leukoplakia' should be used only for the clinical designation of a white plaque on the oral mucosa, and that terms such as hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, or dyskeratosis be used for the microscopic diagnosis of these lesions. This would eliminate misunderstanding in the variation in usage of the term leukoplakia' and would contribute to better patient management.
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