The variety of oral involvement present in this group of epidermal nevi seems not to be generally well known. The dermatological textbooks note the occurrence of oral involvement, but do not describe the changes in detail. Conversations with dermatologists with wide experience indicate that this report has something new to offer in bringing together the sites and types of changes of the oral lesions. We do not claim that this is a complete review, but it is a painstaking review of several of the dermatological journals of the world (every volume and all the many synonyms).*
We have limited this study to those cases of epidermal (hard) nevi that are sufficiently developed in area, pattern and morphological features of the lesions to warrant being classified as nevus unius lateris, ichthyosis hystrix, or equivalent synonym.
This review does not include the following:
Lesions limited to the oral cavity and pharynx,