Microbiopsy a first-level diagnostic test to rule out oral dysplasia or carcinoma in general dental practice

OBJECTIVES: Diagnostic delay in oral oncology could be improved if general dentists had a reliable and easy-to-use first-level diagnostic test to rule out the presence of oral dysplasia or carcinoma. Microbiopsy has been proved to have high sensitivity and high negative predictive value in a clinical setting characterized by high prevalence of disease. Moreover, it has been proved to be easily performed by general dentists. This study aimed to determine the negative predictive value of microbiopsy in routine dental practice: a clinical setting characterized by low prevalence of disease. METHODS: Within the frame of a previous study, general dentists from the Metropolitan Area of Turin performed microbiopsy for each oral mucosal lesion detected during their practice. The clinical outcome of 129 lesions negative at microbiopsy was checked by a query performed through the database of the Piedmont Cancer Registry, covering the population of the Metropolitan Area of Turin, with particular reference to cancer involving the mouth (ICD-10:C03-06). This allowed us to define "true negative" cases and to calculate the negative predictive value of microbiopsy. RESULTS: In a mean follow-up of 7.5 years (range 7-9 years), with a dropout rate of 7.7%, no case of tumour involving the mouth was observed, thus revealing a negative predictive value approaching 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Microbiopsy represents an easy-to-use and reliable first-level test able to aid general dentists to select patients requiring an oral medicine assessment in a short time and definitely to avoid diagnostic delay in oncologically relevant oral mucosal lesions.