Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia: a general dental practitioner-focused clinical review

Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a distinct type of oral leukoplakia which has the potential to enlarge or develop into new areas of leukoplakia coupled with areas of a warty surface texture. PVL is usually diagnosed from the fifth decade onwards and is more common in female patients. The most frequent sites involved tend to be gingivae, followed by buccal mucosa and lateral border of tongue. It is one of the oral potentially malignant conditions with a high risk of malignant transformation. It is important for general dental practitioners (GDPs) to identify such lesions to facilitate referral for further investigation and diagnosis. Management is challenging with long-term monitoring and surgical excision when appropriate; however, PVL tends to recur following surgical excision. This article provides an up-to-date review tailored for GDPs on the present knowledge of PVL and illustrates the management challenges with clinical cases. Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is an important diagnosis due to the risk of malignant transformation.General dental practitioners are well placed to identify PVL in clinical practice and initiate early referral to specialist care.Long-term follow-up is required for patients with PVL.