An Evaluation of the Prognosticative Value of Hyalinization in the Biological Behaviour of Oral Lesions Using Image Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of artificial intelligence-based analysis of polychromatic staining in oral premalignant and malignant lesions and to predict their biological behavior. The study also aims to evaluate the prognostic value of collagen in these oral lesions. METHODS: In this study, a total of 45 histopathologically diagnosed normal (15), Premalignant lesions (n-15), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (n=15) were included. The tissue sections were subjected to routine Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) staining and a differential staining technique- Herovici's stain. The stained slides were viewed under 10x magnification in the microscope and images of these sections were captured. The images were labelled, transferred and stored in the computer for image analysis. The collagen content in the photomicrographs were analysed using Image J software. The results were tabulated and subjected to Kruskal- Wallis test using the SPSS software. RESULTS: A significant increase in the amount of type III (blue stained) collagen fibers, compared to type I collagen fibers, was seen as the lesion progressed from premalignant disorders to oral squamous cell carcinoma. Normal mucosa showed predominantly type I (red stained) collagen fibers. The difference in the ratio of type I and III collagen fibers between the three groups was found to be statistically significant (P= 0.00). CONCLUSION: The study concluded that a significant change in stromal collagen composition exists, with an increase in the amount of type III collagen, that can be correlated to the lesion's progression from premalignant to oral squamous cell carcinoma. Differential staining is an inexpensive and highly reproducible method of evaluating the composition of the stroma and using Image analysis to carry out this analysis makes the process more objective and renders it bias free.

Nature of Hard Tissues in Oral Pathological Lesions -Using Modified Gallego's Stain.

INTRODUCTION: Histological stains are dyes that bind to various tissues. Special stains form an integral part of routine histopathology as an adjunct to Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), and give meaningful diagnostic information of the tissues available. By using routine histological procedure like H&E alone, it is difficult to differentiate the various hard tissues present in the oral pathological lesions. Modified Gallego's stain can be used as one of the differential stain for these hard tissues. AIM: To differentiate various hard tissues of teeth and to identify the presence of hard tissue components in different oral pathological lesions using Modified Gallego's stain under light microscope. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total sample of 20 cases, amongst which 10 were human extracted teeth and 10 oral pathological lesions were included. From 10 human extracted teeth, five ground sections and five decalcified sections were prepared. From pathological lesions, two slides of each lesion were prepared. All the sections were stained with Modified Gallego's stain and viewed under light microscopy. RESULTS: In properly stained slides, cementum stained red, dentin and bone stained green and enamel stained pink in colour. CONCLUSION: Modified Gallego's stain can be used as a differential stain for various hard tissues in oral pathological lesions and also for ground sections for which histochemical stains are very rare.