Oral Cytology Techniques

Abstract

A significant proportion of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) develop from premalignant lesions. Histological examination of tissue remains the gold standard for diagnosis and identification of pre-malignant and malignant oral lesions, but has many disadvantages. Exfoliative cytology is a simple and noninvasive technique which is based on the concept that malignant cells adhere much less to each other and thus are easier to harvest by scraping or brushing a suspicious tissue surface in a relatively atraumatic way.