[The state of cytology in dentistry--a review]

Cytological examinations have been introduced into stomatology relatively late though the material is easy to collect and the techniques used are inexpensive. At present, cytological examinations may be employed for the following purposes: 1. Differential diagnosis of bullous lesions of the oral mucosa. 2. Supervision of inflammatory processes of the periodontium and related surgical interventions. 3. Detection of malignant and premalignant processes in the oral cavity and its environments. Apart from the well-known staining procedures, the acridine orange fluorescence method and recently, the cytometric evaluation of historadiographic techniques are used. Especially in the diagnosis of tumours, cytology is only an adjunct however worthwile.