BackgroundThe tissue-resident microbiome of oral epithelial lesions remains incompletely characterized, with most prior studies relying on saliva or surface sampling. This study aimed to characterize intralesional microbial communities across histopathologic categories of tongue lesions using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue.MethodsThis cross-sectional study characterized the intralesional microbiome of 63 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tongue tissues, including fibroma (n = 15)