Oral Leukoplakia

The definition, nature and frequency of oral leukoplakia. Objectives.- I. Results of clinical follow-up studies in oral leukoplakia.- Malignant trasformation rate.- Age and Sex distribution.- Site of leukoplakia and carcinoma.- Correlation between the clinical type and malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia.- Latency period.- II. The role of etiological factors.- The etiological importance of smoking habits.- The etiological importance of mechanical factors.- The etiological importance of differences in electrical potential.- The role of inflammatory and atrophic changes of the oral mucous membrane in the pathogenesis of leukoplakia.- III. Transformations in the clinical type of leukoplakia during longitudinal studies.- IV. Comparative study of the clinical types and histological characteristics of oral leukoplakia.- Epithelial changes.- Connective tissue changes.- Comparative analysis of non-dysplastic cases.- Incidence of epithelial dysplasia and longitudinal study of leukoplakias with dysplasia.- V. Cytological studies in oral leukoplakia.- Studies of the keratinization pattern in oral leukoplakia.- The value of cytodiagnostics in the detection of cancer development from oral leukoplakia.- VI. Electron microscopic studies of oral leukoplakias.- Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies.- Morphometric (stereological) investigations.- Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examinations.- VII. Oral “white lesions” other than leukoplakia.- Clinical (longitudinal) studies on patients with oral lichen planus.- Simultaneous occurrence of leukoplakia and oral lichen.- Investigations of white sponge naevus (leukoedema exfoliativum mucosae oris).- Morsicatio buccarum et labiorum: a clinicopathological examination.- VIII. The therapy of oral leukoplakia.- IX.Summary.- References.- Colour photos.