Abstract
The clinical classification of vital staining test of oral mucosa to indicate clinical stage of oral precancerous lesions and early carcinoma was evaluated. Ninty cases of oral precancer or any lesions suspected of having early cancer cells underwent surgical resection after the vital staining test. To stain these lesions, 3% iodine and 0.5% toluidine blue solution was used. The iodine solution differentiates epithelial dysplasia from normal mucosa as a dark white unstained area and the toluidine blue solution dyes carcinoma as a dark blue area.
These lesions were divided into four groups based on the findings of the iodine and toluidine blue staining test. After surgical resection, each specimen was entirely examined histopathologically to identify the dysplastic stage for final diagnosis, and the relation between each group and final pathological diagnoses was investigated.
As a result, 85.7% of the lesions in group 1 (both negative) showed only slight dysplasia; 88.0% of the lesions in group 4 (both positive) had severe dysplasia or carcinoma; the sensitivity of the iodine and toluidine blue staining test was 88.0%; and the specificity thereof was 85.7%.
It was concluded that the staining test with iodine and toluidine blue solutions is useful not only to detect oral cancer and reveal its extent but also to indicate the dysplastic stage of oral precancerous lesions and early carcinoma.
