Table 1.
Clinicopathological features and malignant potential of OPMD lesions.
| OPMD Entity | Common Oral Sites | Clinical Appearance | Histopathology | Prevalence | Affected Population | Malignant Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leukoplakia | Any mucosal site | Two distinct appearances may be seen as dysplastic or non-dysplastic leukoplakia | 0.02% | Men >40 years | ||
| Homogenous type | White, flat with clearly, evident borders | Low | ||||
| Nonhomogeneous type (erythroleukoplakia) | White/red, verrucous/exophytic, or nodular presentation | High | ||||
| Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia | Gingiva, buccal mucosa, alveolar ridges, tongue | Asymptomatic, nonhomogenous white plaque often with a verrucous, keratotic surface. Multifocal presentation | Ranging from single hyperkeratosis to verrucous hyperplasia and varying degrees of dysplasia | <1% | Women >60 years | High |
| Erythroplakia | Buccal mucosa, palate, ventral tongue, floor of the mouth | Asymptomatic, erythematous oral mucosal lesion with a smooth or velvety in appearance | Epithelium is nonkeratinized, thin, and atrophic, allowing for visualization of underlying microvasculature; squamous hyperplasia may be seen without concomitant dysplasia (benign), varying degrees of dysplasia, or carcinoma in situ | 0.02% to 0.83% | Adults >45 years | Very high |
| Lichen planus | Buccal mucosa, followed by the gingiva (desquamative) and the tongue | Variable forms: reticular, papular, plaque, erythematous or atrophic, erosive, or bullous forms; a combination of characteristics of different subtypes may coexist | Band-like lymphocytic infiltration and liquefaction degeneration of the basal cell layer; other features include hyperkeratosis, the presence of civatte bodies, and hydropic degeneration of basal cells | 0.5% to 2.2% | Women between 30 and 60 years | Low |
| Oral submucous fubrosis | Any mucosal site | Initial phase: burning sensation and/or intolerance to spicy food. It gradually to juxtaepitelial fibrosis of the oral cavity |
Mucosal changes such as atrophic changes, pigment incontinence, ulceration with granulation tissue, hyperplastic changes, dysplasia, and carcinoma. Submucosal changes such as fibrosis, diffuse chronic inflammatory infiltrate, atrophy of minor salivary glands, skeletal muscle atrophy, bandlike infiltrate, edema and congestion, and vesicle formation |
0.2–2.3% in males and 1.2–4.6% in females | Asians population with age range from 11 to 60 years | High |