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Leukoplakia (loo-koh-PLAY-key-uh) causes thick, white patches that form on the gums. The patches also may form on the insides of the cheeks and the bottom of the mouth. Sometimes the patches form on the tongue. These patches cannot be scraped off. Doctors do not know the exact cause of leukoplakia.
Leukoplakia is a condition that creates white patches on your tongue, gums or the inside of your cheeks. The patches don’t hurt but they don’t go away. Leukoplakia may look harmless, but the condition may become oral cancer.
Leukoplakia causes white, red, or gray patches on your tongue, the inside of your cheek, or on the floor of your mouth. It’s usually your body's reaction to irritation of your mouth tissues.
Leukoplakia is the scientific name for abnormal white patches that develop inside the mouth. They can be a symptom of oral cancer or a pre-cancerous lesion. So, how do you tell the difference between leukoplakia, oral thrush, canker sores and other conditions that can cause white patches in the mouth? And, when should you see a doctor?
Leukoplakia treatment is most successful when a patch is found and treated early, when it's small. Regular checkups are important. So is checking your mouth regularly for changes to your cheeks, gums and tongue.
Leukoplakia is a condition involving thickened white patches on the mucous membranes (lining) of the mouth, gums, and/or tongue that cannot be wiped away. While most cases never become cancerous, others do—even if they have no signs of cancerous changes when diagnosed.
Leukoplakia can occur on your gums, the inside of your cheeks, under or on your tongue, and even on your lips. The patches may take several weeks to develop. They’re rarely painful.
Oral leukoplakia is an oral potentially malignant disorder that presents as white patches of the oral mucosa. According to the World Health Organization, the term "leukoplakia" should be reserved for "white plaques of questionable risk, having excluded other known diseases or disorders that carry no increased risk for cancer" [1].
Summary. Oral leukoplakia presents as white plaques of questionable risk, diagnosed when other known diseases or disorders that carry no risk for oral cancer have been excluded. Multiple clinical forms exist: homogeneous, speckled, nodular, and verrucous.
It causes fuzzy white patches, often on the sides of the tongue, that look folded or ridged. They're not painful and cannot be brushed or scraped away. Antiviral medicines, or treatments you put onto the patch, are sometimes used to treat hairy leukoplakia.