p53 expression in oral precancer and cancer.

Expression of the p53 tumour suppressor gene is a frequent finding in human malignancies, including oral cancer, and it has been detected in some potentially malignant lesions. The results of the present project showed that 35 of the 41 (85 per cent) oral mucosal lesions with histological evidence of epithelial dysplasia expressed p53, but the presence or absence of p53 staining could not be used to predict the outcome of potentially malignant oral mucosal lesions.