Jose Luis Tapia

The challenges of defining oral cancer: analysis of an ontological approach.

An important inconsistency currently exists in the literature on oral cancer. Reviewing this literature, one finds that the term oral cancer is defined and described with great variation. In a search in PubMed, at least 17 different terms were found for titles of papers reporting data on oral cancer. The variability of the terms used for designating anatomic regions and type of malignant neoplasms for reporting oral cancer has hampered the ability of researchers to effectively retrieve information concerning oral cancer. Therefore, it is sometimes extremely difficult to provide meaningful comparisons among various studies of oral cancer. Recently, a new ontological strategy that is rooted in consensus-based controlled vocabularies has been proposed to improve the consistency of data in dental research (Smith et al. in J Am Dent Assoc 141:1173–1175, 2010). In this paper, we analyzed the terminology dilemma on oral cancer and explained the current situation. We proposed a possible solution to the dilemma using an ontology-based approach. The advantages for applying this strategy are also discussed.

Sialolithiasis in a residual Wharton's duct after excision of a submandibular salivary gland.

Treatment of salivary stones includes both surgical and non-surgical techniques. Surgical approaches range from excision of the sialolith, for those near the duct orifice, to removal of the affected salivary gland and its associated duct, for stones near the hilum of the gland. We present a case of two sialoliths triggering an acute infection in a residual Whartons duct, 12 years after the removal of the associated submandibular gland. Excision of the sialoliths and treatment of the infected duct via sialodochoplasty was successfully performed in this patient. If the Whartons duct is not removed with the associated submandibular gland, the potential for infection and continuous growth of dormant calcifications exists. We also address the aetiology, pathogenesis, and management of patients with sialolithiasis in the absence of a major salivary gland.

Solitary Fibrous Tumor with Entrapment of Minor Salivary Gland Tissue: An Unusual Presentation That Requires Exclusion of Pleomorphic Adenoma

We report two unusual cases of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of minor salivary glands that microscopically mimicked pleomorphic adenoma. One of these lesions presented in the retromolar region and the other in the buccal mucosa. The microscopic features of these two tumors and their intimate relationship with regional mucous minor salivary glands posed a diagnostic challenge. Awareness of the morphological diversity of SFT coupled to a judicious use of appropriate immunohistochemical probes should prove valuable to accurately segregate SFT from pleomorphic adenoma.

Indications and procedures for direct immunofluorescence biopsies of the oral mucosa.

A definitive diagnosis is crucial for management of any oral mucosal disease. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) is a valuable diagnostic aid for immune-mediated blistering diseases and systemic connective tissue diseases of the skin and the mucosa. This paper gives an overview of the DIF biopsy technique for oral lesions and provides a background for the clinician to optimize the utilization of DIF biopsy. The key characteristic diagnostic findings of DIF of specific mucosal diseases are also discussed.