Oral Leukoplakia is a condition in which thickened, white patches form on the gums, floor of the mouth, inner lining of the cheeks and sometimes on or under the tongue. These patches can't be scraped off easily. People with compromised immune systems, sometimes develop an unusual form of the disorder called Oral Hairy Leukoplakia.

Leukoplakia symptoms may appear at any age, but they are especially common in the elderly. More men than women develop oral leukoplakia with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Initially oral leukoplakia symptoms appear as flat, gray or gray-white plaques on the gums, floor of the mouth, inside the cheeks and sometimes on or under the tongue. These sores, in a period of weeks or months, slowly develop into white patches with a thick, roughened or wrinkled texture and hardened surface. The white patches are not scraped off easily, like those in oral thrush, which helps to differentiate the two conditions.

Leukoplakia usually does not cause other symptoms. It is painless, but the patches in a few cases can become sensitive to touch, heat or spicy foods. If raised red lesions are present (erythroplakia), there is increased chance of a pre-cancerous condition.

Keep your mouth healthy by focusing on leukoplakia risk reduction. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful.

1) Kick the habits

Avoid all tobacco products and limit your alcohol consumption to reduce the risk 

2) Load up on antioxidants

Take daily supplements of 50,000 to 100,000 IU of beta-carotene, 800 IU of vitamin E, and 1 gram of vitamin C to help put leukoplakia into remission (note: smokers should not take beta-carotene supplements)

3) Apply green tea "paint"

Taking 3 grams of a mixture of whole green tea, green tea polyphenols, and green tea pigments orally and painting the mixture on your lesions three times per day may improve healing