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A precancerous condition is “a generalized state associated with significantly increased risk of cancer.” The precancerous conditions include sub-mucous fibrosis, lichen planus, epidermolysis bullosa and discoid lupus erythematous. Confusion prevailed between these two terminologies and many opinioned that the prefix ‘pre’ quotes that all precancerous lesions will eventually become cancer, whereas studies found this to be untrue. Hence it was recommended in WHO workshop of 2005 to abandon the distinctions between precancerous lesions & precancerous conditions and to use instead the term “potentially malignant disorders” incorporating both the terminologies. Potentially malignant disorders is defined by WHO in 2005 as the risk of malignancy being present in a lesion or condition either at time of initial diagnosis or at a future date.