Concordance Between Clinical and Histopathological Diagnoses of Oral and Maxillofacial Lesions in Thailand: A 20-Year Retrospective Study.

Background: Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment planning and management. This study aims to evaluate the concordance between clinical and histopathological diagnoses of oral biopsy specimens submitted to the Oral Pathology Unit, Faculty of Dentistry, Naresuan University, Thailand, over a 20-year period.

Material and methods: Histopathology reports from 2004 to 2023 were retrieved and reviewed. Data on age, gender, lesion location, clinical diagnosis, and histopathological diagnosis were collected. The concordance between clinical and histopathological diagnoses, as well as factors associated with the concordance rate, were analyzed.

Results: Of 1,253 biopsied cases, a total of 1,148 were included in the study. These comprised 513 males (44.69%) and 635 females (55.31%), with an average age of 40.97 ± 20.70 years. The majority of lesions were reactive and inflammatory lesions (35.1%), followed by epithelial pathology (10.02%), and immune-mediated lesions (7.58%), respectively. Twenty-nine cases (2.53%) were malignant. Overall, clinico-pathological concordance was observed in 69.34% of cases. The highest and lowest concordance rates were noted in immune-mediated lesions and non-odontogenic cysts and tumors, respectively.

Conclusions: There is considerable variability in concordance among different oral lesion types. The results of this study provide insights into the prevalence of oral lesions in a group of Thai population and offer a valuable database for clinicians in developing clinical diagnoses for oral lesions. Key words:Concordance, Oral biopsy, Clinical diagnosis, Histopathological diagnosis.