<prompt> If you are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patients description.Hi, My name is Dolores I visited my dentist on Saturday and she told me to see a dentist that deals in medicine. I have white patches on roof of my mouth and small purple spots on my lower gum bottom lip area, I am so worried as I googled it and the results have scared me so much, they are not painfull and I was not aware of them I have a very bad absess two months ago and was treated for a bad mouth infection. Do I have cancer?  <response>: Hi Laurie, You had a bad mouth hygiene and infection recently and got treated for that. Poor oral hygiene, ill-fitting dentures, smoking, reverse smoking, chewing tobaccobetel nut all are contributory factors for poor oral hygiene and halitosis-bad breath; And risk factors for Oral cavity cancers. Carcinomas of nasopharyngeal regions are the commonest carcinomas in Third World countries and cause is chronic irritation or exposure to tobacco. Leukoplakia- White patches of thickened mucosa in oral cavity andErythroplakia- Reddish discoloration of oral mucosa both are well known pre-cancerous conditions and if left unmanaged will portend a very poor ultimate outcome by getting converted into aggressive forms of carcinomas. So consult an ENTHead neck surgeon as so as possible and get the lesions examined and preferably biopsy and HPR so to manage it before they become malignant. All the good health. 