SOX2 and leukoplakia: Similarly, Motahari et al. reported significantly lower expression of OCT4 in OED than in normal oral epithelium.53 However, in a study by Qiao et al., the percentage of OCT4 positivity was noted to be 70% in OED; this higher expression may be due to the cases selected in their study, as they included lichen planus along with leukoplakia for potentially malignant disorders.54 In contrast to SOX2, the expression of OCT4 was increased in p16-positive cases, though it was not statistically significant (Table 3).