IJAR - Indian Journal of Applied Research

Dr. Kavita Nitish Garg; Dr. Kapil Singhal; Dr. Neena Saini

Volume : III, Issue : VI, June - 2013

Potentially Oral Malignant Lesions & Oral Cancer–Current & Future Diagnostic Techniques: a Review

Dr. Kavita Nitish Garg, Dr. Kapil Singhal, Dr. Neena Saini

Abstract :

Head and neck cancers account for 5 % of all tumors, and about 50 % of head and neck tumors occur specifcally in the oral cavity. In 2000, 300,000 of the 615,000 new cases of oral cavity tumors reported worldwide were primary oral squamous cell carcinomas. Despite the recent treatment advances, oral cancer is reported as having one of the highest mortality ratios amongst other malignancies and this can much be attributed to the late diagnosis of the disease. A variety of commercial diagnostic aids and adjunctive techniques are available to potentially assist in the screening of healthy patients for evidence of otherwise occult cancerous change or to assess the biologic potential of clinically abnormal mucosal lesions. New technologies have provided an exciting new array of clinical diagnostic tools for localizing or emphasizing abnormal mucosa in the dental office, especially potentially malignant lesions. In recent years, screening technologies have become available that supplement the visual examination. The ultimate goals are to reduce mortality and morbidity, and to improve patients’ quality of life. This paper emphasizes on various aids in diagnosing potentially malignant lesions or early oral cancer along with their critical evaluation.