[Incisional biopsy in oral medicine: punch vs traditional procedure]

In oral medicine the incisional biopsy, removing a specimen of tissue for microscopic examination, represents an important step in diagnosis and management. Up till now, many practitioners have used the traditional scalpel 15 and, recently, the scalpel punch, an easy and quick device with a circle lama, has been introduced. The aim of the present study was to compare clinical effects of the punch biopsy technique versus traditional method with scalpel 15.

This prospective case-control study investigated 41 patients [mean age 56.1, range (21-79); 16 males (39.0%), 25 females (61,0%)], consecutively referred to the Unit of Oral Medicine in Palermo (July-December 2002); in parallel groups, 18 subjects [mean age 58, range (36-79); 6 males (33.3%),12 females (66,6%)] were treated with punch scalpel (TEST group) and 23 [mean age 54.6, range (21-77); 10 males (43.5%), 13 females (56,5%)] with traditional scalpel (control group). A single operator carried out all biopsy procedures; a different single observer, in 3 different times, registered the following outcomes: 1) postoperative pain by mean a Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), 2) timing of wound-healing, 3) restitutio ad integrum.

There was no statistically significant differences between the 2 techniques for the above parameters.

Punch biopsy, an easy and quick technique, may be considered a valid procedure in oral medicine for the diagnosis and the follow-up of several lesions.