Intraoral Biopsy
A biopsy is a surgical procedure to remove a piece of tissue from the lesion for diagnostic and microscopic examination. The biopsy is performed if a localized area of abnormal tissue looks suspicious to be malignant.
The information obtained from a biopsy procedure assists the Surgeon in arriving at a diagnosis and predicting the prognosis of the disease. If the histopathology report of an oral biopsy has a premalignant or malignant diagnosis, the Surgeon must notify the patient of the results. Two common biopsy methods used in dentistry are incisional and excisional methods. The Incisional Method involves the removal of a sample of the lesion for examination. A wedge-shaped section of the tissue from the lesion along with adjacent normal tissue is removed for comparison. The biopsy site is sutured and the patient is dismissed. The incisional method generally is used when the lesion is large or in a strategic area where complete removal of the lesion would create significant aesthetic or functional impairment. Complete surgical removal of the lesion is not indicated until a final diagnosis is made. If the lesion is not malignant, it is allowed to heal without further surgery. If a laboratory test shows the tissue is malignant, complete removal is indicated. The Excisional Method involves removal of the entire lesion along with some adjacent normal tissue.
Following the biopsy the patient will receive a phone call or a one week follow up to review the results with the surgeon.