Category: Pathology | Difficulty: Intermediate | Priority: Nice-to-know
White patch or plaque of the oral mucosa that cannot be scraped off and cannot be characterized clinically or histologically as any other disease; some lesions show dysplasia.
A persistent white patch in the mouth that does not wipe off and needs checking because some can be precancerous.
Un parche blanco en el interior de la boca que no puede frotarse — necesita ser evaluado por un médico porque algunos parches blancos son precancerosos.
[[white patch; potentially malignant lesion; white patch (see: plaque (lesion))]]
Clinical term requiring biopsy when suspicious | Pronunciation: /loo-koh-PLAY-kee-ah/ | ICD-10: K13.21 | Common Misconception: Not all white patches in the mouth are leukoplakia — the diagnosis requires ruling out other causes (trauma, candidiasis, lichen planus). Only unexplained white patches qualify.
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