Surgical Management of Oral and Mucosal Dysplasias: The Case for Laser Excision

Abstract

Oral leukoplakia is a whitish patch or plaque that cannot be characterized clinically or pathologically as any other disease and is not associated with any physical or chemical causative agent, except tobacco. Leukoplakia most commonly involves the tongue, followed by the floor of the mouth.1 Although leukoplakia represents a clinical entity, approximately 15% to 25% of these lesions demonstrate cellular atypia or dysplasia when examined microscopically.2 Leukoplakia is by far the most common precancerous disease in the oral cavity; the presence of epithelial dysplasia in an area of leukoplakia increases the risk of malignant degeneration with a rate ranging from 6% to 23% over 20 years.