Oral leukoplakia: risk of malignant transformation and the importance of surgical excision

Leukoplakia is the most frequent potentially malignant lesion of the oral mucosa. Its diagnostic and therapeutic present a challenge for dentist. Two clinical cases of oral leukoplakia were reported. The first was a patient using chewed tobacco consulted for a verrucous oral lesion that was surgically completely removed. Histopathological examination of the specimen revealed verrucous carcinoma. The second was a smoker man presenting an oral leukoplakia with fungal infection. After antimycotic treatment and periodic follow up, the clinical signs of candidiasis regressed but the mucosal white patch persisted. A large part of the lesion was removed. Histopathological examination indicated a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.