Abdulhameed Alsarraf^{1, 2,}, Roqaya Alrumaih¹

Oral cancer (OC) is a global health burden with a 5-year survival rate of 50%. It is traditionally defined as oral squamous cell carcinoma due to more than 90% of oral cancers histologically originating in the squamous cells. Early detection of OC improves morbidity accompanying its treatment therefore it is vital for clinicians to recognise the various clinical presentations of OC to facilitate prompt referral and early management. OC has a wide range of presentations with a spectrum ranging from a small asymptomatic lump, red or white, or mixed red and white patch to a large extensive ulcer or growth. In locally advanced cases, pain is usually present accompanied by referred pain to the ear, halitosis, trismus, dysphagia and odynophagia, intra-oral bleeding, weight loss and neck swelling. Due to the wide variation in clinical presentation, general dental practitioners and dental specialists may be unsure of suspicious lesions and the urgency of referrals required in such cases. This review aims to illustrate the clinical presentations of OC using representative clinical photographs from patients attending our Oral Medicine Clinic.

oral cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral potentially malignant disorders, oral dysplasia, early detectione