 The ethnic variation may be explained by genetic factors or simply because black skinned people have greater amount of melanin in the mucosa, making it appear darker (termed racial or physiologic pigmentation).This darker mucosa may make the edematous changes more noticeable, whereas in the mucosa of people with lighter skin types leukoedema gives a milder presentation.Leukoedema was once thought to be a precursor lesion to leukoplakia, and was not believed to occur in children, but both of these views are now disproved.