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. 2012 Nov;114(5):636-43.
doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2012.07.484.

The role of direct visual fluorescent examination (VELscope) in routine screening for potentially malignant oral mucosal lesions

Kristin K McNamara  1 , Brent D Martin, Erik W Evans, John R Kalmar
Affiliations

The role of direct visual fluorescent examination (VELscope) in routine screening for potentially malignant oral mucosal lesions

Kristin K McNamara et al. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Direct visual fluorescent examination (DVFE) is a proposed adjunct to conventional oral examination (COE). We evaluate the benefit of DVFE in screening for potentially malignant mucosal lesions in a general population of patients presenting for dental care.

Study design: A total of 130 patients were evaluated by COE followed by DVFE. Areas clinically suspicious by COE or with positive DVFE (visual fluorescence loss [VFL]) underwent surgical biopsy. Association between COE and DVFE was assessed and compared with histopathology.

Results: A total of 42 subjects had one or more areas of VFL, yet histologic evidence of premalignancy/malignancy was only identified in a single individual. Further, one lesion negative by DVFE exhibited epithelial dysplasia. DVFE was statistically different from scalpel biopsy (P = .0001). No difference was found between COE and scalpel biopsy (P = 1.0).

Conclusions: Results suggest that COE is more valid than DVFE at discriminating benign mucosal alterations from premalignancy and do not support use of DVFE as an oral cancer screening adjunct.

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