[White lesions of the oral mucosa]

In this review, the etiologies of white oral lesions will be discussed. Thrush is the commonest form of oral candidiasis and it is the prototype of pseudomembranous lesions. The latter are whitish lesions that can be easily rubbed off. All patients with erosive or ulcerative lesions of the oral mucosa, e.g. patients with immunobullous diseases, can present with such lesions. Leucokeratosis refers to white, firmly adherent, lesions. A great number of diseases can manifest with such lesions: inflammatory diseases like lichen planus, infectious diseases like chronic candidiasis or hereditary diseases like the white sponge nevus. Leucoplakia refers to keratosic lesions tobacco-induced or that can not be precisely classified clinically. Such lesions are considered premalignant. When other clinical signs like erythema or ulceration are associated, these lesions are often epidermoid carcinomas.