Oral lesions caused by ill-fitting dentures

Abstract Confusing foreign particles embedded in the tissue, hemorrhagic lesions, white keratotic lesions, and ulcerative lesions of chemical, herpetic, and aphthous origins, and tumors constantly challenge the judgment of the prosthodontist. Ill-fitting dentures cause a wide variety of lesions ranging from simple inflammation to cancer. Each lesion must be carefully studied and distinguished from similar lesions, and its causative factor must be determined before proper treatment can be instituted. Uncorrected immediate dentures and dentures made soon after extractions are especially prone to stimulate the development of hyperplastic tissue. A confusing mass of cauliflower-like tissue which hangs in folds inside and outside of the denture may develop. This condition is best treated not by forbidding the patient to wear the denture nor by rushing the patient to surgery but by eliminating the denture flange in the region of the lesion and by relining the denture directly in the mouth. The patient may be allowed to wear the denture for a year or more. The hyper-plastic lesions will almost disappear so that new proper-fitting dentures can be made without surgery.