In Which Cases Do the Clinical and Histopathological Diagnosis Coincide ?

Objectives: To investigate the clinico-pathological correlations of various mucosal oral lesions examined by oral medicine specialists. Methods: 136 cases of oral mucosal lesions which had clinical differential diagnosis and histopathology, were retrieved from the oral medicine department archives. The percentage of cases in which the microscopic diagnosis coincided with one of the clinical differential diagnosis was calculated. Cases were subdivided to the following groups: dysplasia, hyperkeratosis, lichen planus, mucocele, non-specific ulcer/inflamation, papilloma, reactive exophytic lesions, salivary gland tumors, SCC, vesiculo-ulcerative diseases (PV/MMP) and others. Results: In 78% of cases, the microscopic and clinical diagnosis concurred. In the vesiculo-ulcerative diseases, dysplasia, mucocele, papilloma and lichen planus groups there was clinicopathologic agreement in 90-100% The lowest agreement was found in non- specific ulcerative/infections lesions(38%) ,while in all other groups 56-75% of cases were in agreement. Conclusion: The clinico-pathologic correlation of mucosal oral lesions vary in different pathological categories. Atypical clinical presentations (e.g. ulcerations, inflammations and non specific white lesions) often present a diagnostic challenge. However, in the majority of oral mucosal lesions, the clinical differential diagnosis advocated by the oral medicine specialist coincided with the results of histopathology.