Surveillance Strategies for Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders: A Comprehensive Review and Clinical Decision Tree.

OBJECTIVE

Oral potentially malignant disorders are a group of oral mucosal conditions with a significant risk of transforming into oral squamous cell carcinoma. Early detection and proper follow-up are crucial in improving patient outcomes. This review consolidates evidence on the clinical features, malignant potential, treatment, and follow-up strategies for the four most common oral potentially malignant disorders: oral leukoplakia, proliferative verrucous leukoplakia, erythroplakia, and oral lichen planus. It also proposes a clinical decision tree for structured surveillance of these lesions.

METHODS

This review consolidates evidence on the clinical features, malignant potential, treatment, and follow-up strategies for the four most common oral potentially malignant disorders.

RESULTS

This review highlights the variability in follow-up recommendations and emphasizes the need for individualized, evidence-informed monitoring strategies.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this is among the first structured attempts to present a comprehensive clinical decision tree to guide practitioners in the surveillance of OPMDs. The proposed model provides clinicians with a practical tool to minimize the risk of malignant progression. Nevertheless, despite a growing body of literature, standardized surveillance protocols are still lacking, and further longitudinal research is required.