Dental Students' Perceptions and Performance in Use of Conventional and Virtual Microscopy in Oral Pathology.

Virtual microscopy (VM) is a technology for showing microscope slides using computers and could be considered a progression of classic methodology using optical microscopes. The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and performance of dental students in oral pathology regarding the use of conventional microscopy (CM) and VM in relation to teaching and learning. All fourth-semester dental students (N=165) in an oral pathology course at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil in 2016-17 were invited to participate in the study. Students first answered a questionnaire with ten multiple-choice items on VM in comparison with CM and then took an exam divided into two sections: the first contained three virtual slides on the computer; in the second, three glass slides were positioned in an optical microscope. Each slide question, asking students to identify the oral lesion shown, was worth two points. Both conventional and virtual slides were chosen from the main lectures in the oral pathology classes. Of the students, 132 completed the questionnaire (80% response rate), and 77 completed the exam (46.7% response rate). On the questionnaire results, most students perceived that VM was a superior method for teaching and learning compared to CM. Students earned a total of 312 points on the questions with virtual slides and earned 190 points on the questions with conventional slides. In this study, the use of VM in oral pathology teaching was favored by the students over CM and also contributed to these students' learning.

Nerve sheath myxoma of the gingiva: report of a rare case and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Nerve sheath myxoma (NSM) is an extremely rare benign neoplasm in the oral cavity. This paper describes the first case, to our knowledge, of NSM in the gingival mucosa of an 84-year-old female patient. METHODS: Intraoral examination revealed a painless and well-defined nodule in the lingual gingival mucosa of the right mandibular lateral incisor, which measured approximately 1.0 cm in diameter. The lesion was fully excised under local anesthesia, without intercurrences. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed in 5-microm sections for histopathologic analysis. Immunohistochemical reactions against vimentin and S-100 protein were carried out in 3-microm histologic sections in accordance with manufacturers' instructions. RESULTS: The patient's medical history and an extraoral exam did not reveal other abnormalities. The patient wore a removable partial denture in the affected area. A trauma-induced gingival hyperplasia was the main diagnostic hypothesis. Microscopically, the lesion was composed of an abundant myxoid matrix and stellated and spindle-shaped cells arranged in lobules separated by fine fibrous septa. The cells presented strong positivity for vimentin and S-100 protein. According to the histopathologic and immunohistochemical features, the diagnosis of NSM was established. After 9 months of treatment, no signs or symptoms of recurrences have been observed. CONCLUSION: Although NSM is an extremely rare oral tumor, it should be considered in the clinical differential diagnosis of gingival nodules.

Epithelial lacrimal gland tumors: a clinicopathological study of 18 cases.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report the clinicopathological features of 18 epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland treated in a single institution. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Clinical data and treatment were recorded and histological features reviewed. RESULTS: Twelve tumors (66.7%) were adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), 5 (27.8%) pleomorphic adenoma (PA), and 1 (5.5%) carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma. All patients with ACC presented with advanced clinical stage, and most were treated by wide surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. No recurrence was observed in 4 cases of ACC; however, 7 patients died from persistence of disease or by local and/or distant recurrence. All PA patients were successfully treated by surgical resection. CONCLUSIONS: Epithelial lacrimal gland tumors are mainly PA and ACC, and malignancies are more common than benign tumors. Although ACC presented typically with advanced clinical stage, 33% of the patients survived without tumor recurrence or metastasis.