Abstract
Exfoliative cytology is useful for early diagnosis of malignant or suspected lesions, how-ever, our previous study showed that oral cytology for T1 or leukoplakic lesions is not as reliable as that for T2-4 or exo- or endophytic lesions. An interdental brush was used for sample collection to improve the correct cytodiagnosis rate. Fifty-one smears obtained from the patients with T1 and T2 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity were evaluated clinicocytologically. By using an interdental brush, the percentage of correct cytodiagnosis of T1 increased from 76.1% to 94.4%; in particular, the percentage of Class TV/V significantly increased from 43.5% to 77.8%. Exfoliative cytology using an interdental brush is a simple and reliable technique that aids early diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal malignancies, particularly T1 and T2 lesions that can be treated with excisional biopsy.
