Mucosal Colour Changes Flashcards
what are white oral lesions usually a sign of?
- smoking/frictional = keratosis
- lichen planus
- candidal leukoplakia
- carcinoma
why do oral lesions appear white, what does the keratin layer do?
increased keratin thickness makes less visibility of blood appearing white in colour
what is the definition of leukoplakia?
a WHITE PATCH that CANNOT be SCRAPED OFF or ATTRIBUTED TO ANY OTHER CAUSE.
Diagnosis of exclusion
Small % become malignant
what categories of patients are more likely to present with leukoplakia?
Smokers 6x more likely
although leukoplakia low malignant potential
smoking = higher overall cancer risk
what can aspirin do if left on mucosa for prolonged period of time?
aspirin burn
when should you refer a white lesion?
- most are benign
- if RED and WHITE, concentrate on RED part
- if lesion becoming RAISED & THICKENED
- If lesion has no associated cause
why are some lesions red?
blood flow increases (inflammation, dysplasia)
- REDUCES thickness of the epithelium
what is erythroplakia?
A RED PATCH which CANNOT be attributed to any other cause
MORE CONCERN FOR MALIGNANCY than leukoplakia
what are red/blue lesions?
Fluid in the connective tissue
(Dark = slow moving blood, haemangioma)
(Light blue/clear = lymph)
what is a haemangioma?
benign growth of blood vessel
Haem = blood
angioma = benign growth
what is a lymphangioma?
benign growth of lymph vessel
what are some reasons for mucosal pigmentation?
tea/coffee/chx
melanoma
systemic disease
megals - amalgam etc
ethnicity/skin complexion
when should you REFER mucosal pigmentation?
can you easily explain it? race, smoking, medicines?
increasing in size, colour or quantity?
any systemic concerns?
can it be associated with amalgam tattoo?
what is a melanoma?
melan = skin pigment
oma = tumour
- variable pigmentation
- irregular outline
- RAISED surface
SYMPTOMATIC = itch/bleed
what use are biopsys for mucosal lesions?
identifies/excludes MALIGNANCY
Identifies dysplasia
identifies other disease (eg lichen planus)
