Oral medicine and oral cancer: palatal lesions: practice question

A Dentistry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Dentistry · Oral medicine and oral cancer: palatal lesions

Sample item

A 55-year-old pipe smoker has a thickened, grey-white palate with numerous small red dots at the centre of nodules. What does the red dot represent?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Inflamed opening of a minor salivary gland duct

Nicotinic stomatitis, or smoker's palate, shows keratosis with red dots, which are inflamed minor salivary duct orifices. It is a reversible response to heat and usually benign, but reverse smoking is different.

Option by option

  • A. A site of invasive carcinoma

    Carcinoma would present with an ulcer or mass.

  • B. Candida colony

    Candida would be a wipe-off white plaque.

  • C. Inflamed opening of a minor salivary gland duct (correct)

    Correct. The dots are inflamed duct openings.

  • D. A herpetic vesicle

    Herpetic vesicles are transient and occur on keratinised mucosa in crops.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Dentistry question

What is the answer to this Dentistry question?

The best answer is C, Inflamed opening of a minor salivary gland duct. Nicotinic stomatitis, or smoker's palate, shows keratosis with red dots, which are inflamed minor salivary duct orifices.

Why is "A site of invasive carcinoma" not the answer?

Carcinoma would present with an ulcer or mass.

Why is "Candida colony" not the answer?

Candida would be a wipe-off white plaque.

Why is "A herpetic vesicle" not the answer?

Herpetic vesicles are transient and occur on keratinised mucosa in crops.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Oral medicine and oral cancer: palatal lesions in Dentistry. It is a reversible response to heat and usually benign, but reverse smoking is different.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Oral medicine and oral cancer: palatal lesions?

Learn the dental formula, eruption ages and tooth structure once, as tables. Then use the flashcards and the other Dentistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.