The role of autofluorescence diagnostics in the oral mucosa diseases

Laser-induced fluorescence diagnostics (LIFE) can be used as an imaging system of precancerous and neoplasmatic lesions of oral mucosa. LIFE system utilizes healthy and neoplasmatically changed tissue in autofluorescence, without using any fluorescence substances. Neoplasmatic lesions are visible in pseudo colors, healthy tissue as a shade of green color and abnormal tissue as a shade of red color. All visible colors have different intensity. Color intensity is relevant to the grade of dysplasia, carcinoma progress and is called numerical color value (NCV).

The aim of our study was to find correlation between autofluorescence diagnostics with NCV assessment and type of histopathological diagnostics of specimen biopsy.

Fourteen patients participated in our study. Lesions were located in different intraoral areas. The most common location was: buccal, gingival and mandibular mucosa. Patients were examined using laser induced fluorescence diagnostics (400-750 nm wavelength) with NCV using OncoLIFE system. Then the specimen biopsy from the lesion was taken and histopathological examination was performed.

We have noted different NCV and dependence of NCV on histopathological grade.

Diagnostics using white-light imaging with LIFE imaging is not only a significant faster method and a better diagnostics of preneoplasmatic and neoplasmatic lesions, but also there is a correlation between NCV and histopathological grade. The farther investigations are necessary to prove these preliminary findings.