Leukoplakia

Leukoplakia is a disorder of the mouth wherein there are white patches inside the mouth and on the tongue. It is white patch on the mucous membrane that is gums and the inside of the cheeks. These patches cannot be scarped off easily as they are quite thick. The diagnosis of Leukoplakia is one of exclusion that is first it is made sure that the white spots are not because of any other disease like lichen planus or candidiasis. It affects even less than one percent of population. The causes of this disease is not known and but it is considered that it can happen because of chewing or smoking tobacco though there are times when patients feel a certain irritation due to other reasons also like the consumption of alcohol.

Causes of Leukoplakia

As stated earlier the causes of Leukoplakia are still unknown but most of the time it is considered it is due to the excessive consumption of tobacco and alcohol, which act as irritants to the mouth. There can be mechanical things as well that can be the source of irritation like dentures and filling though they have long been considered as not to be the causes of Leukoplakia. Let us take a detailed look at the causes of this disease:

• Use of Tobacco- Tobacco is considered as the potential cause of Leukoplakia because people who have had the disease were prescribed to quit smoking and it was observed that when they stopped smoking the patches improved or in some cases even disappeared within a year. Smokeless tobacco products also affect the patients as they hold the tobacco against their cheek or under their tongue, which is more harmful than smoking tobacco.
• Bloodroot-This is the name of a flower which is also known to be causing Leukoplakia.
• People suffering from AIDS or HIV also suffer from Leukoplakia and it is at times the first symptom of hairy Leukoplakia.

Symptoms of Leukoplakia

Leukoplakia has various symptoms but the primary symptom is the appearance of plaque that is generally on the gums or on the insides of the mouth. It can also be seen on the tongue of the patient. Over a long period of time patches can be seen which are white, thick and rough and at times the surface of these patches are hard. The symptoms of hairy Leukoplakia are much the same.

Treatment of Leukoplakia

• The primary treatment of Leukoplakia is to get rid of the source of irritation first. As stated earlier for some people it is caused due to the consumption of tobacco or alcohol and once the consumption of these things are stopped, it is often noticed that there is an improvement in the condition of the patient. But if the condition has reached the later stages the patches have to be removed with the help of surgery or cold probe that kills the cells of cancer.
• Once the patches are removed the follow-up procedure is essential as there are positive chances of recurrence. Vitamin A is also effective in curing Leukoplakia though at times the retinoids that are derivatives of Vitamin A can have side effects.
• Medications such as antiviral famciclovir and valacyclovir stop the Epstein- Bar virus from replicating though it doesn't eliminate the virus from the body completely. This treatment hardly takes a week or two but then once the medication stops the symptoms also return.
• Since Leukoplakia is also caused due to rough teeth, fillings or irregular dentures, removal of these can lead to the elimination of the patches.

Leukoplakia is harmless and most of the time it can be cured except for the ones that are the signs and symptoms of HIV or AIDS. It is always to better to prevent yourself from diseases so to avoid Leukoplakia one has to completely stop alcohol and tobacco consumption instead increase the intake of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.