Toluidine blue staining as an adjunctive tool for early diagnosis of dysplastic changes in the oral mucosa

Prognosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma depends on early diagnosis, despite advanced surgical techniques, the 5-year survival rate remains ~40-50%. Unfortunately, it is usually detected when it becomes symptomatic. This requires treatment which gives rise to a high rate of morbidity and mortality and, furthermore, early detection of oro-pharyngeal pre-malignant lesions is important to improve the survival rate and quality of life. Since dysplasia and in situ carcinoma contain much more DNA and RNA than the normal surrounding epithelium, the use of in vivo staining, by means of toluidine blue dye, is based on the fact that it is an acidophilic dye that selectively stains acidic tissue components such as DNA and RNA. Toluidine blue staining is considered to be sensitive in identifying early oro-pharyngeal premalignant and malignant lesions. In the present study, the use of toluidine blue staining was taken into consideration to identify clinically doubtful oro-pharyngeal lesions and to compare toluidine blue stain and with the histological evaluation

Corticosteroids in dentistry

Steroids are one of the widely used drugs in dentistry. These are immunosuppressive agents. The reason for its use is its anti-inflammatory as well as immunosuppressive properties. Corticosteroids have revolutionized the management of several disabling conditions, but its use in term of dosage is inappropriate. The current review highlights its uses, contraindications, side-effects as well as a guideline for its use in dentistry

Therapeutic applications of ultrasonography in dentistry

Ultrasonography is one of the most common imaging modality used in dental as well as medical sciences. The use of ultrasonography when discovered was as a therapeutic aid, but in recent times, it has become one of the most common imaging modality next to conventional radiology. Currently, its use as a therapeutic aid has been rediscovered along with its association with other specialized imaging. The aim of this paper is to highlight such advancements in the field of ultrasonography