Orolabial Melanosis: Principles of Formulating a Clinical Diagnosis.

Background: The group of melanotic lesions (ML) of the orolabial region is extremely diverse, creating objective difficulties in differential diagnosis. To perform a comprehensive differential diagnostic evaluation and to plan treatment strategies, it is advisable to supplement the clinical classification of ML with objective diagnostic criteria. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study was designed according to the principles of clinical examination, including objective examination of the oral cavity, periodontal tissue assessment with evaluation of the Greene-Vermillion hygiene index, periodontal indices (papillomarginal-alveolar - PMA, SPITN), and assessment of the location, size, and staining intensity of ML using the authors' method, followed by statistical analysis. Conservative treatment of diseases of the oral mucosa and periodontium with subsequent dynamic observation was carried out for periods of 3 to 10 years. Statistical processing of the clinical data was performed using Microsoft Excel and the Statistica package, including calculation of the mean and standard error, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance with subsequent pairwise comparisons to determine the probability of error (p). Differences between means were considered statistically significant at Results: A total of 318 cases of ML in the orolabial region were examined. The size of ML foci was found to increase significantly with the depth and extent of the inflammatory process in the periodontium. Depending on the disease form, the average length of lesions increased more markedly ( Conclusion: Unification of fundamental approaches to formulating a clinical diagnosis allows for differential diagnosis of ML, planning of treatment and preventive measures, and assessment of disease dynamics using objective criteria.