Reported physical examination methods for screening of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders: a systematic review

Brendo Vinícius Rodrigues Louredo; Reydson Alcides de Lima-Souza; Maria Eduarda Pérez-de-Oliveira; Saman Warnakulasuriya; Alexander Ross Kerr; Luiz Paulo Kowalski; Keith David Hunter; Ana Carolina Prado-Ribeiro; Pablo Agustin Vargas; Alan Roger Dos Santos-Silva

doi:10.1016/j.oooo.2023.10.005

Reported physical examination methods for screening of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders: a systematic review

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2024 Feb;137(2):136-152. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2023.10.005. Epub 2023 Oct 16.

Affiliations

¹ Oral Diagnosis Department, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
² Oral Diagnosis Department, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
³ The WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer and Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology & Medicine, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology, AC Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁶ Liverpool Head and Neck Centre, Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
⁷ Dental Oncology Service, São Paulo State Cancer Institute, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil; Oral Medicine Service, Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁸ Oral Diagnosis Department, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: Alan@unicamp.br.

PMID: 37989648
DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2023.10.005

Abstract

Objective: This systematic review aimed to describe the method followed during physical examination and the anatomical structures of the head and neck assessed in screening for oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs).

Study design: An extensive literature search was carried out using MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, LILACS, Web of Science, Cochrane databases, and gray literature. The risk of bias was available in all papers included.

Results: Of 9,688 records identified, 27 were included in this review, reporting data from 356,250 individuals screened and distributed across 11 countries. Most of these (n = 19) were based on 1 round of screening conducted by a dental professional or other health care workers. Most screening programs included visual inspection and palpation of the lips, oral cavity, and the most visible oropharyngeal sites, but the descriptions reported were imprecise. Additional inspection and palpation of the neck (submental, submandibular, cervical, and supraclavicular regions) to assess for the presence of swellings and any palpable neck nodes were also performed in 15 programs.

Conclusion: In conclusion, there was considerable heterogeneity in the method of physical examination in screening programs for oral cancer and OPMDs among the included studies.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review

MeSH terms

Early Detection of Cancer / methods
Humans
Lip
Lip Neoplasms*
Mouth Diseases*
Mouth Neoplasms* / diagnosis
Mouth Neoplasms* / prevention & control
Physical Examination / methods
Precancerous Conditions*