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The article focuses on the challenges faced in managing oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing the risk of disease progression due to postponed follow-ups and delayed care. Topics include a case study of malignant transformation in a patient with oral lichen planus (OLP) exacerbated by pandemic-related disruptions, emphasizing the importance of routine follow-up for early detection of malignancy.

Oral multifocal epithelial hyperplasia (MEH), or Heck's disease, is a rare benign proliferation of the oral mucosa associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). It clinically presents as multiple asymptomatic papules and nodules that mostly affect the lips, buccal mucosa, and tongue. MEH is predominantly found in children and young adults while relatively few cases have been reported in the elderly population. Here, we report a case of oral MEH in a 65‐year‐old man with history of lung transplantation. This case highlights the potential susceptibility of organ transplant recipients to the development of MEH. Since MEH that does not require treatment unless the lesion bothers the patient, clinicians should promptly establish a definitive diagnosis to rule out other HPV‐related precancerous lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]