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Prevalence of bilateral ‘mirror-image’ lesions in patients with oral potentially malignant epithelial lesions

  • Head and Neck
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Abstract

Early detection of oral potentially malignant epithelial lesions (PMELs) is aimed at improving survival rates as carcinogenesis is a multistep process and prevention is possible if these lesions are detected at an early and reversible stage of the disease. A prospective clinical study aimed at determining the prevalence of bilateral ‘mirror-image’ oral PMELs was carried out. Sample consisted of 32 (53.3%) Indians, 23 (38.3%) Chinese, 4 (6.7%) Malays and one (1.7%) Nepalese. All had histopathological confirmation of their primary existing PMEL as inclusion criteria. A total of 70 primary lesions were detected. The most common PMEL found was oral lichen planus. Of these, 28 (46.7%) patients exhibited bilateral ‘mirror-image’ lesions (n = 42) either synchronously (n = 32/42) or metachronously (n = 10/42). The remaining 32 (53.3%) patients had normal-looking contralateral mucosa. Present findings suggest that patients presenting with oral PMELs are at greater risk of developing a second lesion, most probably in the contralateral ‘mirror-image’ site.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge all staff at the Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University Malaya, for their assistance in this project [Ethics approval No. DF OP411/0033/(U)].

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Chong Huat Siar

  2. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Mara University of Technology, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    Michelle Clare Mah

  3. Oral Health Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590, Putrajaya, Malaysia

    Praveen Preet Gill

Authors
  1. Chong Huat Siar
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  2. Michelle Clare Mah
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  3. Praveen Preet Gill
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Correspondence to Chong Huat Siar.

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Siar, C.H., Mah, M.C. & Gill, P.P. Prevalence of bilateral ‘mirror-image’ lesions in patients with oral potentially malignant epithelial lesions. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 269, 999–1004 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-011-1712-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-011-1712-x

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