Treatment of Oral Hairy Leukoplakia: Topical Protocol for Lateral Tongue Lesions
Oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) presents as a white plaque on the lateral border of the tongue. This protocol addresses the structured topical management of OHL directed at the primary lesion site, with treatment continued until clinical resolution is confirmed.
Treatment Approach
Management involves a topical protocol applied directly to the lateral tongue mucosa at the site of the lesion. Multiple evidence-based topical options are available — the specific protocol selection, application method, and scheduling are outlined in the full regimen.
Clinical Goal
Treatment success is defined as clinical healing of OHL — the white plaque is no longer visible at its primary location on the lateral border of the tongue. Approximately half of patients reach this endpoint within 7–8 weeks of initiating the topical protocol.
References
DOI: 10.1016/j.tripleo.2010.06.006
- Topical drugs used to treat OHL include 25% podophyllin resin (P), 2% gentian violet, 5% acyclovir cream (ACV), and the combination of P and ACV (PA).
- This study aimed to present a new topical treatment protocol for OHL, consisting of a 25% podophyllin resin together with a 1% penciclovir cream (PP), and to compare this topical treatment protocol's efficacy with 2 other topical treatment protocols: P and PA.
- ACV or PCV were applied once weekly until clinical healing of the OHL had occurred or up to a maximum of 25 weeks.
- Clinical healing was considered when the white plaque could no longer be seen in the primary location of the OHL.
- Approximately 55% of the patients presented clinical healing of OHL within 7–8 weeks of topical treatment protocols, where 8, 7, and 8 patients presented effective clinical healing of OHL in the P, PA, and PP groups, respectively, by treatment end.