Accuracy of autofluorescence and chemiluminescence in the diagnosis of oral Dysplasia and Carcinoma: A systematic review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Objectives To define the accuracy of autofluorescence-based (AF) and chemiluminescence-based (CL) systems in the diagnosis of oral dysplastic and malignant lesions in addition to the Conventional Oral Examination (COE). Materials and Methods The study was performed according to the PRISMA-DTA guidelines. Results A total of 2631 oral cavity lesions (AF, n = 2076; CL, n = 555) from 26 studies (AF = 17; CL = 9) was used for calculation of diagnostic accuracy parameters. The overall pooled sensitivity and specificity of the AF were 81.3% (95% CI: 74.3% − 87.5%) and 52.1% (95% CI: 36.9% − 67.1%), respectively. Cumulative diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 5.44 (95% CI: 2.29 – 10.56) with a significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 80.7%, 95% CI: 70.0% − 86.7%; p  The overall pooled sensitivity and specificity for the CL were 84.9% (95% CI: 66.7% − 96.7%) and 51.8% (95% CI: 37.3% − 65.9%), respectively. The overall pooled DOR was 8.59 (95% CI: 2.11 – 22.38) with a significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 65.4%, 95% CI: 29.6% − 83.0%; p  Conclusions AF and CL present a high sensitivity in the diagnosis of dysplastic and malignant oral cavity lesions, demonstrating that diagnostic biopsies may be avoided in case of a negative test result. Both tests have a low specificity, and the reduction of the false positive rate compared to the COE alone remains poor.