Oral Candidal leukoplakia treated with CO2 laser

Abstract

Oral leukoplakia (OL) is one of the most common physiologic as well as pathologic white lesions in oral cavity. Of the many variants of OL, chronic hyperplastic candidosis, also called candidal leukoplakia (CL), is associated with Candida yeast species, which generally is an opportunistic microbe of normal oral microbiota. Many published cases and researches suggest a positive role of Candida albicans as potential culprit in malignant transformation of leukoplakia to squamous cell carcinomas at molecular level as trigger at cell signaling pathway. This article describes a case report of CL in the light of current information with clinical and histological aspect in a young patient, which was successfully treated with CO2 laser. This article also makes an attempt to provide and update the knowledge about potential malignant disorders such as leukoplakia and cofactors such as candidiasis superimposed to leukoplakia to health-care providers in order to help in early detection and treatment, thus decreasing mortality.