Assessment of a decision making protocol to improve the efficacy of VELscope™ in general dental practice: a prospective evaluation
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Semi-Automated Planimetric Quantification of Dental Plaque Using an Intraoral Fluorescence Camera
Published on: January 27, 2023
Nirav Bhatia1, Marie Anne T Matias1, Camile S Farah1
1The Australian Centre for Oral Oncology Research & Education, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia; The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, QLD 4029, Australia.
Background:
VELscope™ is a device designed to help detect potentially malignant disorders of the oral mucosa at an early stage using direct tissue autofluorescence. Previous research indicates a high rate of false positives using this device. This study assesses a decision making protocol for the detection of oral mucosal lesions using conventional oral examination and VELscope™ in a general dental practice setting.
Materials And Methods:
305 patients presenting for general dental treatment were screened by a general dental practitioner (GDP) for oral mucosal lesions using incandescent light (conventional oral examination - COE), followed by VELscope™ and then by correlating the findings from these two examinations. A decision making protocol was followed. Patients were either reviewed or referred to an Oral Medicine specialist (OMS) for consultation, and biopsy was undertaken as required for definitive diagnosis.
Results:
146 patients presented with at least one oral mucosal lesion, and a total of 222 lesions were detected. COE detected 161 oral mucosal lesions and an additional 61 lesions were detected with VELscope™. COE alone showed a sensitivity of 44.0% and specificity of 99.0% while VELscope™ alone showed a sensitivity of 64.0% and specificity of 54.3%. Using the decision making protocol, the sensitivity and specificity were 73.9% and 97.9% respectively.
Conclusion:
Using the decision making protocol proposed in this study allows for the detection of additional oral mucosal lesions requiring specialist referral by incorporating VELscope™ into routine general dental practice, without compromising patient care.
