A proposal for a classification and staging system for oral leukoplakia: a preliminary study.

A classification and staging system for oral leukoplakia is proposed based on the recently revised definition of this premalignant lesion. The initial experiences of this system are described on the basis of 100 patients with oral leukoplakia. The new classification and staging system seems very suitable for characterizing groups of patients with oral leukoplakia. Whether this system is also valuable with regard to guidelines for management of these patients has still to be proven.