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To Our Southern California Dental Health Associates Family:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example: Enhanced Covid 19 - Safety Policy Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You must have a mask to enter the office. We will check everyone's temperature. We will do everything possible so that you can fill out all forms online to minimize time in the office. Due to new procedures, we ask you to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment. We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times. We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 323-934-3341 Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends. Jonathan Engel, D.D.S.

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  • Oral Diagnosis and Biopsies

Oral Diagnosis and Biopsies

  • Created in Oral Surgery

An oral biopsy is a tissue sample gathered from an abnormality in the mouth and is sent to a lab to undergo further testing. The procedure would be required when a dentist cannot diagnose the problem by examination, X-rays, and symptoms alone.

Common Oral Diseases

There are a variety of oral diseases that the pathologist will test for, including:

  • Oral cancer: Appearing as a growth or sore in the mouth that does not go away over time, oral cancer can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, hard palate, soft palate, sinuses, and throat. Early detection is key for treating this disease, though most patients are diagnosed in the advanced stages.
  • Leukoplakia: Thickened, white patches on your gums, inside your cheeks, the bottom of your mouth, or your tongue.
  • Lichen planus: A chronic inflammatory condition that affects the mucous membranes inside your mouth. Lichen planus appears as white, lacy patches, open sores, or red, swollen tissues. The lesions are accompanied by burning or other discomfort. This condition needs to be closely monitored so that it does not turn into oral cancer.
  • Mucous membrane pemphigoid: An uncommon autoimmune disease that may cause oral lesions of the gums, mucous membranes, tongue, soft palate, or hard palate.
  • Pregnancy tumors: Raised nodules that may or may not be painful.

Other diseases, such as diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and heart disease, may produce abnormalities inside the mouth.

Types of Oral Biopsies

Depending on the abnormality in your mouth, there are six different ways to perform an oral biopsy:

  • Aspiration: A needle and syringe removes a sample from within the lesion.
  • Brush: Firm pressure is applied on a circular brush while it is rotated to pick up cellular material. The sample is then transferred to a glass slide for observation under a microscope.
  • Excisional: If a lesion appears benign during an oral exam, and is smaller than one centimeter, this type of biopsy removes the entirety of the lesion.
  • Incisonal: For larger lesions, a sample is taken from more than one area.
  • Punch: Using a circular blade attached to a pencil-like handle, the instrument is rotated through the lesion. The biopsy yields a circular bit of tissue that is then sent to the lab for further testing.
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