A novel, minimally invasive approach to managing mild epithelial dysplasia

Conventional oral cancer screening examinations can be enhanced by direct tissue fluorescence visualization. Early dysplastic lesions detected during screening examinations often are monitored for progression or changes in appearance. Aggressive surgical intervention usually is contraindicated for mild epithelial dysplasia. As epithelial dysplasia progresses from mild to severe, the likelihood of it developing into carcinoma increases. Minimally invasive tissue management procedures should be considered as a possible method of early intervention to reduce the occurrence of oral cancer. This case report describes a novel approach to managing mild epithelial dysplasia when therapy is indicated (due to a high risk for oral cancer) but aggressive surgical management is contraindicated (due to a potential loss of function and increased morbidity).