Telediagnosis of oral lesions using smartphone photography

Abstract

Objective The objective of this observational study was to evaluate telediagnosis of oral lesions using smartphone photography. Materials and Methods Individuals with visible oral lesions composed a convenience sample. The lesions were photographed using a smartphone camera and emailed along with clinical information to three evaluators, who formulated up to two diagnostic hypotheses for each case. A total of 235 photographs from 113 clinical cases were obtained. The evaluators answered questions regarding referral decisions, requests for additional tests, diagnostic difficulties, and image quality. The diagnostic hypotheses were compared to the gold standard by means of percent agreement and kappa coefficient. Consensual face‐to‐face diagnoses of three specialists—when only a clinical diagnosis was necessary—or histopathological results—when a biopsy was necessary—were considered the gold standard. Results The telediagnosis was similar to the gold standard in 76% of the cases, and kappa coefficients showed almost perfect agreement (k = 0.817–0.903). The evaluators considered that referrals could have been avoided on an average of 35,4% of the cases. Conclusion Diagnosis of oral lesions using images taken with a smartphone showed almost perfect agreement and diagnostic accuracy comparable to face‐to‐face diagnosis.

Preparedness of newly qualified dentists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…Based on the demographics and clinical information these tools can assist risk strati cation by dental students and graduates to avoid "false alarm" and the unnecessary use of health care resources [34,35]. Image classi cation algorithms and tele-diagnosis tools of oral mucosal suspicious lesions, which can inform clinicians when to refer or not refer [36,37], can also be incorporated into dental curricula.…”

Development and professional validation of an App to support Oral Cancer Screening

“…Platforms have been developed to assist dentists in diagnosing potentially malignant and malignant lesions of the oral cavity 12 . The use of these interactive technologies will soon constitute an important tool in reducing the existing sociodemographic barriers between the health professionals and the affected population, speeding up the diagnosis and treatment of these patients 13 , 14 .…”

Factors important in the correct evaluation of oral high‐risk lesions during the telehealth era

“…These parameters are also helpful in clinical photography, a tool recommended for the management of oral dysplasia 4 that can monitor changes in lesions over time. Despite legal and ethical issues, 5 sharing of clinical images has become a common consultation method between patients and clinicians and between professionals 6 with the COVID‐19 pandemic accelerating its use 2,6–8 …”

“…These parameters are also helpful in clinical photography, a tool recommended for the management of oral dysplasia 4 that can monitor changes in lesions over time. Despite legal and ethical issues, 5 sharing of clinical images has become a common consultation method between patients and clinicians and between professionals 6 with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating its use. 2,[6][7][8] A thorough clinical examination is still the gold standard for primary differential diagnosis but evaluation of clinical images is an important additional aid which is becoming more and more common.…”