This is a lesion commonly found in smoker’s mouths consisting of whitish keritinized patches on mucosa or keratinized portions of the mouth. It can present on the cheeks, tongue, or retromolar pad area. It most often is associated with smoking. Although it is mostly benign it is associated with cancerous lesions in a small percentage of times. If a patient has a leukoplakia patch they should have it biopsied and should stop smoking and drinking alcohol since both habits can make it more likely for oral cancers to develop.
It can look like candidiasis but is can be differentiated clinically by the fact that it can not be easily scraped off. Candidiasis is a white patch usually associated with immune compromised individuals and the lesion can be easily scraped off leaving behind an erethematousunder layer. Leukoplakias are not usually ulcerated unless they are associated with repeated trauma or have a cojoining metaplastic area (cancerous lesion).
