CONVENTIONAL AND ADVANCED DIAGNOSTIC AIDS IN ORAL CANCER SCREENING – THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Oral cancer accounts for a significantly higher percentage of all cancer cases. Survival rates of oral cancers are relatively low in comparison to other major cancers, although incidence rates are as low as 3%. Oral cancer is the most common cancer among Indian males and third most common cancer among Indian females. Delay in diagnosis, metastases, and the presence of secondary tumors are the major reasons for the poor prognosis of oral cancers. Innocuous potentially malignant lesions have higher chances for malignant transformation and early diagnosis of these lesions is necessary for improving survival rates. The patient's overall outcome can be enhanced through early diagnosis and management of these potentially malignant lesions, as the risk factors are well documented for oral cancers. Currently available clinical diagnostic tools developed for the early detection of oral cancers includes toluidine blue dye (TB) (tolonium chloride), Oral brush biopsy, chemiluminescence using Vizilite, salivary diagnostics, and several imaging devices such as Velscope and multispectral optical imaging systems. This paper provides a detailed review about the various diagnostic aids in the detection of oral cancers and also emphasizes a dentist's role in combating this dreadful entity.Â