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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Leukoplakia can have various appearances. Changes usually occur on your gums, the insides of your cheeks, the bottom of your mouth and sometimes on your tongue, and may appear as:
- White or grayish patches that can't be wiped away
- Irregular or flat texture
- Thickened or hardened areas
Sometimes you may also have raised red lesions (erythroplakia), which are more likely to show precancerous changes.
A type of leukoplakia called hairy leukoplakia primarily affects people whose immune systems have been weakened by medications or disease, especially HIV/AIDS. Hairy leukoplakia causes fuzzy, white patches that resemble folds or ridges on the sides of your tongue. It's often mistaken for oral thrush — an infection marked by creamy white patches on the area that extends from the back of your throat to the top of your esophagus (pharynx) and the insides of the cheeks. Oral thrush also is common in people with HIV/AIDS.
When to see a doctor
Sometimes mouth sores can be annoying or painful without being harmful. But in other cases, mouth problems can indicate a more serious condition. For that reason, see your dentist if you have any of the following:
- White plaques or sores in your mouth that don't heal on their own within seven to 10 days
- Lumps or white, red or dark patches in your mouth
- Persistent changes in the tissues of 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.
