Challenges in predicting which oral mucosal potentially malignant disease will progress to neoplasia.

Probably the greatest challenge to those managing patients with oral diseases is the dilemma of attempting to predict which oral erythroplakias, leukoplakias, lichenoid and other potentially malignant mucosal disease (PMD) such as oral submucous fibrosis will progress to neoplasia--notably oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The paper reviews progress over the past decade and the application to the clinical situation.