Melanotic macule of the oral mucosa. A clinicopathologic study of 105 cases

A series of 105 cases of melanotic macule of the oral mucosa is analyzed, both clinically and histologically. In most patients the melanotic macule was a solitary lesion, and the most common location was the vermilion border, followed by the gingiva. Histologically, the melanotic macule is characterized by increased pigmentation in either the basal-cell layer, the lamina propria (mainly within melanophages), or in both locations. It is suggested that the term melanotic macule be reserved for lesions in which there is a definite clinicopathologic correlation between a clinically pigmented macule and the aforementioned histologic features and that the term focal melanosis be used only as a histologic designation when these features appear in clinically nonpigmented pathologic conditions.