Pigmented Lesions of the Oral Mucosa

Pigmented lesions are commonly found in the mouth. Such lesions represent a variety of clinical entities, ranging from physiological changes to manifestations of systemic illness and malignant neoplasm. Evaluation of a patient presenting with a pigmented lesion should include a full medical and dental history, extra-oral and intra-oral examination and in some cases,biopsy and laboratory investigation.Oral pigmentation may be exogenous or endogenous in origin. Exogenous pigmentation is commonly due to foreign-body implantation in the oral mucosa. Endogenous pigments include melanin, hemoglobin, hemosiderine and carotene.The color of oral pigmentation can vary depending on the quantity and the depth or location of the pigment. Generally, the surface shows brown pigmentation and those located deeper are black or blue.