Biopsies

Oral tissue biopsy may be necessary for lesions that cannot be diagnosed on the basis of the history and clinical findings alone. A biopsy is indicated for the assessment of any unexplained oral mucosal abnormality that persists despite treatment or the removal of local irritants.

Therefore the different indications to biopsy could be:

• An enlarging mass,
• Chronic ulceration,
• Tissue friability,
• Induration on palpation,
• Persistence of mucosal changes for more than 3 weeks,
• Pigmented lesions.

A sample of human tissue is withdrawn with scalpel, a punch instrument or a laser and submitted to a laboratory for histologic analysis to confirm the clinical impression.

There are two types of biopsy: incisional and excisional. 
An incisional biopsy removes a piece of tissue from a lesion. It is a sampling. 
An excisional biopsy removes the entire lesion.

In both cases, the tissue is sent to a laboratory for the specialist pathologist to examine it with a microscope. This analysis leads to the diagnosis.

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