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The term "Hairy Leukoplakia" is a misnomer!
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The term "Hairy Leukoplakia" is a misnomer!

HackDentistry
May 24
4
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The term "Hairy Leukoplakia" is a misnomer!
hackdentistry.substack.com

Oral hairy leukoplakia(OHL), first reported by Greenspan in 1984, is a white corrugated lesion primarily affecting the lateral borders of the tongue. It is the most common Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) related lesion occurring in patients with HIV/AIDS. In fact, it represents an opportunistic infection strongly associated with HIV/AIDS.

But did you know the term “Hairy Leukoplakia” is a misnomer?

If you thought oral hairy leukoplakia was another type of leukoplakia, think again. The term "hairy leukoplakia" is a misnomer. The lesion is better off not being called so, since it breeds confusion and is in no way related to the potentially malignant disorder "leukoplakia".

  • Oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) is not a potentially malignant disorder. It is histologically bland and does not show dysplastic features.

  • OHL is a definitive/definable lesion, whereas leukoplakia is a diagnosis of exclusion (read this for more clarity on this concept). 

  • "Greenspan lesion" is an alternate term proposed for OHL.

🔎You could dig deeper into the topic

In fact, you could delve a lot more deeper and read in detail about Hairy Leukoplakia with our Revision Ninja - Oral Pathology and Medicine Course bundle!

We have a video on this topic!

View Oral Pathology Syllabus


💡Note

Apart from Notes, you could also get access to numerous MCQs and Videos with English captions/subtitles on various topics in Oral Pathology and Medicine.


📚Other study resources on HackDentistry!

  • Revision Ninja - Oral Histology (Notes, Videos & MCQs)

  • Revision Ninja - Periodontics (Notes & MCQs)

  • Question Bank (5000+ Questions)

View all Syllabus/Topics covered

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The term "Hairy Leukoplakia" is a misnomer!
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