In vivo microscopy: A non-invasive diagnostic tool

Abstract

In recent years, a new optical technology known as in vivo microscopy (IVM) has emerged as a promising and non-invasive diagnostic adjunct. IVM includes high-resolution, microscopic imaging of intact tissue for disease detection without the need of tissue removal. IVM offers the opportunity to carry out a ‘real time’ inspection at a microscopic level during the clinical examination of both soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. It make use of the refracted light emitted after being hit by incident light at a specific wavelength. As it is a non-invasive method it could in bypass all the difficulties and problems related to a biopsy and the subsequent histological examination, which still represents the gold standard for definitive diagnosis.