Objectives: To compare the findings of a non-invasive procedure, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), to the current gold standard (histology) and to develop a quantitative approach for the evaluation of appropriate disease conditions.
Methods: Biopsy samples were scanned at 5µm intervals using an OCT microscope (Michelson Diagnostics) and subsequently processed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E). A comparison of structurally similar features was performed for both visualisation modalities. Quantitative analysis of normal and dysplastic oral epithelium was evaluated by estimating the rate of change (gradient) of the back-scattered light intensity in the OCT signal as a function of depth of samples.
Results: OCT and histology findings were concordant in normal oral epithelium, mucous extravasation cyst, lichen planus, hyper-orthokeratinised and lipomatous lesions of the oral mucosa. By contrast, the OCT findings in oral dysplastic lesions did not match the corresponding histological sections. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of OCT images using a gradient classification algorithm distinguished between normal and dysplastic samples.
Conclusion: Optical Coherence Tomography offers a potential non-invasive diagnostic tool capable of assessing superficial lesions of the oral mucosa. Additionally, it affords complementary quantitative information that may permit a more objective approach to evaluation.