Abstract
Background and aims. Histpathologic diagnosis of exophytic lesions is occasionally influenced by clinical and radiographic
diagnosis and even the surgeon’s observation during biopsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cases with failure
in clinical diagnosis.
Materials and methods. A total of 73 patients with peripheral exophytic lesions were evaluated in Zahedan Faculty of Dentistry
in 2006. Specialists gave their differential diagnoses based on the criteria of oral medicine texts. Then a biopsy was taken
and the histopathologic diagnosis was determined. Finally, consistency rates of clinical and histopathologic diagnoses were determined.
Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS software using Chi-Square and Fisher’s exact tests.
Results. In the present study 73 subjects with oral soft tissue (peripheral) exophytic lesions were orally examined and biopsies
were taken. Forty-four subjects (60.35%) were females and 29 (39.7%) were males. A total of 81.7% (62 subjects) of clinical
diagnoses were consistent with histopathologic reports. In 18.3% (11 subjects) of the cases clinical diagnoses were not confirmed
by histopathologic reports.
Conclusion. In order to reach a diagnostic agreement, conformity of clinical and histopathologic diagnoses is necessary.