[Oral medicine 7: white lesions of the oral mucosa]

White lesions of the oral mucosa may be due to highly diverse disorders. Most of these disorders are benign but some may be a malignant or premalignant condition. The disease is often confined to the oral mucosa. There are also disorders which are accompanied by skin disorders or systemic diseases. Many white oral mucosa disorders have such characteristic clinical aspects that a diagnosis can be made on clinical grounds only. When the clinical diagnosis is not clear, histopathological examination is carried out. Treatment depends on the histological diagnosis. In some cases, treatment is not necessary while in other cases, treatment is not possible since an effective treatment is not available. Potentially malignant disorders are treated.