Introduction

Ex vivo fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) is a developing tool providing rapid digital imaging of fresh tissue utilizing high-resolution optical sectioning that highly corresponds with conventional hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides. A very little data on oral mucosa lesions exists currently. The present work aimed to create an image atlas of benign and malignant oral tissues and compare them to the corresponding histopathology. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate the learning curve for confocal image interpretation.

Material and Methods

From 50 samples obtained from the oral mucosa, including oral squamous cell carcinoma, dysplasia, and healthy oral tissue, ex vivo FCM images and corresponding H&E slides were created and collected into a tissue atlas. Additionally, two experts were asked to analyze the images to assess the learning curve.

Results

Ex vivo FCM images revealed high comparability with histopathological images. Tissues including OSCC, dysplasia, and normal oral mucosa were implemented in the image atlas to provide the diagnostic fundament for pathologists and surgeons; the learning curve was short. Future studies on this topic will be advantageous for the development of artificial intelligence-based diagnostic approaches.

Conclusion

The current work provides a novel set of data that is structured as an atlas of common pathologies of the mucosa to enhance the existing knowledge and material on confocal images.

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