A study of the natural history of oral preleukoplakia

Abstract

Daftary, D.K., Pitkar, V.K., Cupta, P.C., Pindborg, J.J. Mehta, F.S. A study of the natural history of oral preleukoplakia. A preleukoplakia, conceived as a precursor stage of leukoplakia, is grey or greyish-white area with indistinct borders. The paper describes 659 preleukoplakias detected among 20, 358 individuals in two districts in India. In Bhavnagar district 99.5 % of the preleukoplakias were among men. 23.5% of the hookli (clay pipe) smokers had preleukoplakias. In Ernakulam district 79.6 % of the preleukoplakias were found among men and the mixed habit group of bidi smoking and tobacco chewing had the highest prevalence (6.1 %). The preleukoplakias showed a marked tendency to regress; among the bidi smokers in Bhavnagar, 75 % regressed. In two patients preleukoplakia turned into carcinoma.