Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffLeukoplakia is a condition in which thickened, white patches form on your gums, on the inside of your cheeks, the bottom of your mouth and sometimes on your tongue. These patches can't easily be scraped off.
The cause of leukoplakia is unknown, but tobacco, either smoked or chewed, is considered to be the main culprit in its development.
Leukoplakia usually isn't dangerous, but it can sometimes be serious. Although most leukoplakia patches are benign, a small percentage show early signs of cancer, and many cancers of the mouth occur next to areas of leukoplakia. For that reason, it's best to see your dentist if you have unusual, persistent changes in your mouth.
- Sciubba JJ. Oral mucosal lesions. In: Cummings CW. Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/101896247-4/735379012/1263/585.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01985-4..50067-8--cesec8_2400. Accessed Aug. 12, 2008.
- Smokeless tobacco and how to quit. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Quitting_Smokeless_Tobacco.asp?sitearea=&level=. Accessed Aug. 9, 2008.
- Lodi G, et.al. Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006;(4):CD001829.
- Gonsalves WC. Common oral lesions: Part II. Masses and neoplasia. American Family Physician. 2007;75(4):509-512.
- Pletcher SD, et al. Head and neck manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus infection. In: Cummings CW. Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby;2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/101896247-3/0/1263/99.html?tocnode=49541644&fromURL=99.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01985-4..50013-7_492. Accessed Aug. 12, 2008.
- Reznick DA. Perspective: Oral manifestations of HIV disease. Topics in HIV Medicine. 2005/2006;13(5):143-148.
- Can oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers be prevented? American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_Can_oral_cavity_and_oropharyngeal_cancer_be_prevented_60.asp?sitearea=. Accessed Aug. 9, 2008.
- Handa S. Leukoplakia, oral hairy. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor. 1st ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/101896247-4/735379012/1531/365.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04135-5..50015-0--subchapter16_7178. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
- Mernitz H, et al. Beta-carotene. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=208393. Accessed Aug. 12, 2008.
- Carr, AB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 13, 2008.
