Potential application of a non-contact tool using measurable autofluorescence in oral leukoplakia

Objective

A fluorescence-based mouth-observation device has recently been developed, which shines the oral mucosa with blue excitation light to visualize oral mucosal lesions; this visualization is based on the differences in autofluorescence between oral lesions and healthy mucosa. In recent years, it has received renewed attention in terms of infection control because of its non-contact protocol. This study used IllumiScan® (Shofu, Japan), a fluorescence device similar to a generic fluorescence visualization device, for the analysis of oral mucosal lesions. The study aimed to compare the relationship between the histopathological findings of leukoplakia and those obtained using IllumiScan®.

Methods

Fifty patients with a clinical diagnosis of oral leukoplakia and a histopathological diagnosis of epithelial dysplasia or hyperkeratosis were included. The brightness of leukoplakia was reported as G values and was compared with those of tissue images. The G values were obtained using IllumiScan® and used for further analysis.

Results

The G values of areas surrounding the white lesions on the oral mucosa with epithelial dysplasia were significantly lower than those of areas surrounding white hyperkeratotic lesions and healthy mucosa.

Conclusions

By observing oral leukoplakia with the Illumiscan®, we were able to diagnose leukoplakia noninvasively by comparing G values in and around white lesions and applying fluorescence visualization retention and fluorescence visualization loss intensities.