Evaluation of Artifacts in Oral and Maxillofacial Histopathological Slides

Abstract

Introduction:One of the reasons that cause a pathologist to make an incorrect diagnosis includes artifacts leading to tissue changes and artificial structures in microscopic slides. The aim of this study was to examine the artifacts in histopathological slides in Zahedan School of Dentistry. Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, all the available slides in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Archive at the School of Dentistry during 1999-2015 were evaluated for existing artifacts. The artifacts found in the slides were divided into the following three categories: 1) caused by a surgeon's performance, 2) resulting from sample transfer to laboratory, and 3) arising from a technician's performance. Then, the frequency of each type of artifact was calculated in numbers and percentages and analyzed with the proportions of two populations test. Results:All the 658 histological slides contained artifacts. Moreover, 96.5% of the artifacts were associated with a technician's performance, and 90.4% were associated with a surgeon's performance. The proportion of difference between the two types of artifacts was statistically significant (P value = 0.001). The most common artifacts resulting from technicians' performances included formalin pigmentation, folding, and bubble. However, the most common artifacts resulting from surgeons' performances were split, crush, and hemorrhage. Conclusion:The results of this study indicated that there was a high frequency of artifacts in oral histological slides. Retraining courses seemed to be helpful for practitioners involved in preparation of slides, in addition to increased cooperation of surgeon-pathologist, which can reduce the risk of artifacts.

Frequency of Different Types of Artifacts among Oral and Maxillofacial Histopathological Slides in Zanjan Dental School from 2015 to 2017

“…The formalin pigmentation is an artifact caused by the formalin fixation in acidic pH or environments with high temperature and humidity. Moreover, formalin pigmentation is more common in the tissues with high hemorrhage, and its frequency in the study of Saravani et al has been reported to be 90% (1), which is significant compared to the results of the present study. Microtomy is a tool used to cut the tissues for microscopic examination, and the formalin concentration, pollution, and long fixation time make it difficult to cut the samples.…”

“…According to the American Academy of the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, any abnormal tissue removed from the oral and maxillofacial area should be sent to a pathologist for evaluation and diagnosis (1). Biopsy plays an undeniable role in forensic medicine (2).…”

“…Biopsy plays an undeniable role in forensic medicine (2). Therefore, a microscopic examination, the gold standard for most of the lesions, has been accepted as a principle (1,3).…”

Association between clinical and histopathological oral lesion diagnoses among Iraqi patients

“…The findings of this research show a strong relationship between the concordance rate of histopathological and clinical diagnosis and the kind of lesion. This conclusion is comparable with those of Saravani et al [18,19] , who discovered a substantial relationship between the type of lesion (neoplastic or non-neoplastic) and clinicopathological concordance. Saravani et al [18] divided lesions into five main groups, with exophytic lesions being the most prevalent.…”

“…This conclusion is comparable with those of Saravani et al [18,19] , who discovered a substantial relationship between the type of lesion (neoplastic or non-neoplastic) and clinicopathological concordance. Saravani et al [18] divided lesions into five main groups, with exophytic lesions being the most prevalent. They also found that the occurrence of pigmented lesions was the lowest, while the concordance rates were greatest for white and scarlet lesions.…”