Oral Verruca Vulgaris (Big Name for a Little Sore)
I recently wrote about an irritation fibroma which is seen in the mouth usually as a result of irritating your cheek from chewing. A somewhat similar looking lesion is the verruca vulgaris.
When looking in the mouth verucca vulgaris presents as a raised white lesion that is not smooth, like cauliflower projections. This is a tumor that is caused by a virus(HPV, or Human Papillo Virus), the same virus that causes warts on the skin. In the mouth this can ultimately develop into a carcinoma.
As opposed to the irritation fibroma, this lesion is not usually located in the cheeks. It is more common on the hard palate, lips or tongue.
This disease entity is just another reason to go to the dentist regularly for a checkup. This oral lesion is easily excised by a surgeon. The surgeon will send a sample to a pathologist for a biopsy to make sure that it’s not a malignancy.