Red and white lessions of oral cavity a clinical perspective for diagnosis and treatment

The detection of a white and red lesion on the oral mucosa can bring a number of obstacles to the practitioner, since they can range from benign to malignant processes. An important group of ailments characterized by white and red patches of the oral mucosa include infections, traumatic lesions, systemic and local immune-mediated lesions, possibly cancerous disorders, and neoplasms. The oral mucosa is frequently affected with benign white lesions that don't need to be treated. These include birth defects or developmental disorders including Fordyce granules, hereditary benign intraepithelial dyskeratosis, pachyonychia congenita, and white sponge nevus. While many of the infective and inflammatory conditions for which causes are known can be treated in primary care, some persistent white and red patches, which have the potential to transform to malignancy, require a specialist's attention. Clinical diagnostic skills and good judgment forms the key to successful management of white and red lesions of the oral cavity. The primary goal of management of these lesions includes prevention, early detection, and treatment before malignant transformation. The aim of this article is to inform the clinician about management of red and white lesions of oral cavity.