Observation of Patients with Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders Using Autofluorescence Imaging and Spectroscopy

Objectives:1) Describe 2 noninvasive optical techniques, widefield autofluorescence imaging (AFI) and optical spectroscopy, that may be used in conjunction with conventional oral examination (COE) for long-term surveillance of patients with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). 2) Present images and spectra collected from patients with OPMD using AFI and spectroscopy over a 33-month surveillance period, and compare results to clinical observations and patient outcomes over that time period.Methods:Patients undergoing routine follow-up surveillance for OPMD were enrolled in a longitudinal optical imaging study. The patients were monitored over time with COE, AFI, and spectroscopy. AFI was used to observe natural tissue fluorescence over a 4-5 cm field of view. Spectroscopy was used to obtain reflectance and fluorescence spectra from selected sites within the oral cavity. The images and spectra collected from these patients were evaluated for changes over time and compared to clinical observations an...