Screening for oral cancer and precancer--a valuable new technique

Many precancerous or cancerous oral lesions may resemble benign lesions and a definitive diagnosis on clinical grounds alone may be difficult, if not impossible, to make. The introduction of OralCDx, an oral brush biopsy procedure, permits the dental practitioner to determine which lesions contain atypical or dysplastic epithelial cells and require that a conventional scalpel biopsy be performed. This article reviews the features of the test, explains the clinical situations for which its use is recommended, and discusses the interpretation and significance of the biopsy reports.