Basic science in dentistry: past, present and future.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to W G Shafer.
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Erythroplakia of the oral cavity is a specific disease entity which must be differentiated from other specific or nonspecific inflammatory oral lesions, although this can only be done in most cases by biopsy. A series of 58 cases of oral erythroplakia has been retrieved from 65,354 consecutively accessioned biopsy-surgical specimens. The disease was found to have no apparent sex predilection (31 males and 27 females) and was most frequently seen during the 6th and 7th decades. The most common site of occurrence in females was the mandibular alveolar mucosa-mandibular gingiva-mandibular sulcus, whereas this was the least common site in males. The floor of the mouth was the most common site in males, followed by the retromolar area in both males and females. The histologic findings emphasized the serious nature of the disease, since 91% of the specimens were either invasive carcinoma, carcinoma in situ, or severe epithelial dysplasia.
During a 13-year period, 3256 specimens clinically diagnosed as leukoplakia (('keratosis," "white patch") were submitted to the oral pathology laboratories of Indiana University School of Dentistry and Emory University School of Dentistry. These comprised 6.2% of the tissue specimens processed by these laboratories. The cases were analyzed as to age of occurrence, site of involvement, and pathologic findings. It was found that: leukoplakia occurs chiefly in the 5th, 6th, and 7th decades; about half of the lesions involved the mandibular mucosa, mandibular sulcus, and buccal mucosa; leukoplakia was slightly more common in men (54.2%). Microscopic study showed that 80.1% of the leukoplakias were varying combinations of hyperorthokeratosis, hyperparakeratosis, and acanthosis without evidence of epithelial dysplasia. Mild to moderate epithelial dysplasia was noted in 12.2% of specimens, and severe epithelial dysplasia or carcinoma in situ was found in 4.5%. Infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 3.1% of specimens submitted with a clinical diagnosis of leukoplakia. The risk of epithelial dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or carcinoma varied between the anatomical locations of leukoplakia. The incidence of epithelial alteration, ranging from dysplasia to carcinoma, was 42.9% for lesions of the floor of the mouth, 24.2% for tongue lesions, and 24.0% for lip leukoplakias. The incidence of similar epithelial alterations in other sites varied from 18.8% for palatal lesions to 11.7% for leukoplakias of the retromolar area. The data suggest that there are regional differences in the incidence and character of leukoplakia in the United States. The Emory material, obtained almost exclusively from patients residing in the Southeastern United States, showed a proportionately higher total incidence, a lower male/female ratio, and a greater frequency of epithelial dysplasia, particularly in females, than the Indiana material, which came almost entirely from residents in the Northcentral United States.
Twenty-one cases of a lymphoproliferative disorder believed to represent a clinico-pathologic entity were studied. These lesions, which appeared on the hard palate, occurred in elderly men and women with an average age of 70 years. The lesions presented as soft, fluctuant swellings which were occasionally bilateral, ulcerated, or discolored. Microscopically, the lesions were classified as lymphocytic lymphomas; eight were diffuse and well differentiated, seven were nodular and well differentiated, and six were diffuse and poorly differentiated. All lesions were characterized by a tendency of the lymphocytes to show nuclear fragility. Accessory salivary gland involvement was common, this being characterized by acinar obliteration to varying degrees and by periductal hyalinization of collagen. Determinate follow-up of fourteen patients disclosed that eight died of disseminated lymphoma, three are alive with disease, and three are free of disease after treatment with radiation and/or chemotherapy. Lymphoproliferative lesions in this location are believed to be malignant or potentially malignant processes.
Oral carcinoma in situ (CIS) as a histopathologic entity was studied in seventy-seven patients to determine the clinical and histologic parameters of the disease. There were forty-nine male and twenty-eight female patients, with 45.1 per cent of the lesions being described clinically as white, 15.9 per cent as red, and 8.5 per cent as a combination of the two. The high-risk sites for CIS were floor of the mouth (23.2 per cent of all lesions), tongue (22.0 per cent), and lips (in males only, 19.5 per cent). Histologically, there was a considerable range of variation in surface keratinization, thickness of epithelium, and certain cytologic alterations. The most consistent of all cytologic changes was loss of orientation of cells. There is no information available concerning possible regression of oral CIS, as is known for CIS of uterine cervix. Furthermore, there is no information concerning the frequency of or the period of transition from oral CIS to invasive carcinoma or whether all oral carcinoma is preceded by CIS. Further studies on this disease are essential.
Six cases of a previously unnamed oral lesion are described and the name squamous odontogenic tumor is applied. The lesion causes radiolucent areas of bone destruction adjacent to the roots of teeth. In one case there were multiple separate lesions. Light microscopy revealed numerous islands of benign squamous epithelium with focal areas of keratinization and calcification. Electron microscope examination in one case showed normal squamous epithelial cells with abundant glycogen granules, tonofilaments and myelin bodies. Complete surgical excision seems the best therapy, as only one lesion recurred following treatment.
A study of 779 patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the oral cavity revealed that 115 (14.8%) had had a temporally significant initial mismanagement or delay in diagnosis. The responsibility for this mismanagement was shared by the dentist, the physician, and the patient. Earlier recognition of oral cancer by the physician and dentist, with earlier treatment, is essential for improving the generally poor five-year survival rate of this disease.
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