Abstract
The most important aspect when diagnosing oral mucosal diseases is recognizing color changes in the mucous membrane. However, the human brain cannot memorize color information with accurate reproducibility. Recently, fluorescence visualization techniques have been applied in various medical areas including oral squamous cell carcinoma. The present study aimed to determine the feasibility of using a portable auto-fluorescence imaging meter with analysis software for screening oral mucosal diseases. The subjects were healthy volunteers and patients with oral mucosal diseases who visited the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Tokyo Dental College Suidobashi Hospital. The colors of normal and abnormal parts of the oral mucosa were measured for each patient using the auto-fluorescence imaging meter, and the color variations were analyzed by dedicated software. The results showed that the meter could differentiate normal from abnormal regions based on color variations. Therefore, the portable auto-fluorescence imaging meter can be used as an adjunctive diagnostic device for screening oral mucosal diseases.
