Enigma of oral potentially malignant disorders - A brief overview

Oral cancer is a unique cancer, nevertheless detected at the later stage. It is of note that oral cancer develops from oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) that comprises premalignant lesions and conditions. Dearth of awareness and lack of knowledge in the detection of oral cancer along with patients presenting in the advanced stage of cancer have led to delay in diagnosis. Present treatise consideration will be mainly on the malignant potentiality of rare OPMDs, especially dyskeratosis congenital, epidermolysis bullosa, lupus erythematosus, Plummer-Vinson syndrome, and xeroderma pigmentosum. An English literature search engine was done for articles relating to OPMDs using Medline journals and National Library of Medicine.