Effectiveness of Oral Surgeons Compared With OralCDx Brush Biopsy in Diagnosing Oral Dysplastic Lesions

Purpose: To evaluate oral surgeons' effectiveness in diagnosing oral dysplastic lesions and compare it to OralCDx brush biopsy. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the oral surgeon's ability to diagnose dysplasia among 152 consecutive cases (tissue samples) that had previously tested either positive (n = 3) or atypical (n = 149) for dysplasia by OralCDx brush biopsy was determined by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value using the scalpel biopsy as the gold standard. PPV for oral surgeons and atypical brush biopsy was compared stratified by age, gender, and lesion site. Results: The PPV, negative predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity for oral surgeons were 10.3%, 100%, 100%, and 23.5%, respectively. After controlling for age, gender, and lesion site, oral surgeons were 19% to 58% more likely to diagnose a dysplastic lesion compared to OralCDx brush biopsy. Conclusions: Oral surgeons' effectiveness in diagnosing oral dysplastic lesions was slightly better than the OralCDx brush biopsy; hence, it is recommended that patients be referred to an oral surgeon for evaluation. 2011 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 69:428-431, 2011