The following symptoms and complaints may indicate leukoplakia of the oral mucosa:
- Leukoplakias of the oral mucosa may be single or multiple. They cannot be wiped away. Localizations (most commonly affected): buccal mucosa (buccal mucosa), mucosa of the alveolar processes (part of the jaw where the dental compartments = alveoli are located), floor of the mouth, tongue, lips and palate.
Homogeneous leukoplakia
- Predominantly white, is uniformly flat and thin, possibly traversed by shallow furrows, with a smooth, wrinkled or wavy surface. Note: Since homogeneous leukoplakia usually does not cause discomfort, it is usually discovered accidentally.
Inhomogeneous leukoplakia
- Predominantly white or white and red change (erythroleukoplakia); presents as an irregular flat, nodular (“nodular”) or exophytic (verrucous leukoplakia) patch or area with a rough surface.
- May cause mild symptoms such as pain or burning of the oral mucosa
Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia
- Aggressive form of leukoplakia that almost always transforms malignant; is extensive and multifocal; verrucous changes emerge from initially homogeneous areas.
Oral hair leukoplakia
- Localized at the edge of the tongue; due to Eppstein-Barr virus infection, it is an early symptom of full-blown AIDS.
Warning signs (red flags)
- Oral hairy leukoplakia is pathognomonic (evidence of disease) for HIV infection.
- Inhomogeneous leukoplakia forms and Candida-infected leukoplakia have a higher transformation rate than homogeneous forms.
- Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia transforms malignantly in almost all cases.
