2. Who is affected by the
disease?
๏ There is no general age for when this
disease occurs as it can occur at any
given time. However, it is more
common between the ages of 21-30
years old.
๏ It occurs almost equally in male and
females, with males experiencing it
slightly more.
๏ There is no particular type of race
where this disease is more
predominant in.
3. What is Leukoplakia?
๏ Patches on the tongue, in the
mouth, or in the inside of the
cheek that occur in response to
long-term irritation.
4. Signs and Symptoms of
Leukoplakia
๏ A sign that Leukoplakia is occuring is the
development of a white patch, that
slowly appears over weeks to months.
๏ Symptoms of Leukoplakia are:
painless, fuzzy white patches on the side
of the tongue; these sores are thick and
slightly raised which makes them
difficult to scrape off, are usually white
or gray and can sometimes be
red, which are called
erythroplakia, which is a condition that
can lead to cancer
5. Effects and Treatments of
Leukoplakia
๏ Effects of Leukoplakia are: Tobacco smokers
must avoid all tobacco products and alcohol
intake should be reduced by those who
drink alcohol. All in all, leukoplakia is
relatively harmless.
๏ Not all cases of Leukoplakia need treatment
but in some cases treatments for
Leukoplakia include: Systemic medications
like antiviral drugs such as, valacyclovir;
and Topical medications which are solutions
applied to the spot of the Leukoplakia such
as, tretinoin.
6. When does Leukoplakia
occur?
๏ Leukoplakia occurs at any time
during your life but studies have
shown that its most likely to occur
between the ages of 21-30 and at
a mean age of 40.
๏ Leukoplakia mainly affects the
mucus membranes of the
mouth, which is thought to be
caused by irritation.
7. Causes of Leukoplakia
๏ Leukoplakia is caused by tobacco
use, and this includes both chewing
and smoking. Although its not a
proven cause, long term alcohol use
and other chronic irritants can
contribute to Leukoplakia.
8. Sources
-Dugdale, D. C., Schwartz, S., & Zieve, D. (2011, July 20).
Leukoplakia. PubMed Health. Retrieved February
6, 2012, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002041/
-Mishra, M., Mohanty, J., Sengupta, S., & Tripathy, S.
(2005). Epidemiological and clinicopathological study of
oral leukoplakia. IJDVL. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from
http://www.ijdvl.com/article.asp?issn=0378-
6323;year=2005;volume=71;issue=3;spage=161;epage=
165;aulast=Mishra
-Williams, Darren R. "Dental Health and Leukoplakia."
WebMD. WebMD, 15 Mar. 2009. Web. 06 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-health-
leukoplakia>.
-Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
(2010, November 2). Leukoplakia.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/leukoplakia/DS00458
.html. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/leukoplakia/DS00458.
html
-David C. Dugdale (2010, July 20). Leukoplakia. MedLine
Plus. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001046.
htm
