Advanced Diagnostic Aids in Oral Pathology

The analysis of DNA, RNA and proteins obtained from diagnostic specimens, is currently revolutionizing the practice of surgical pathology and heralds a new era of diagnostic and prognostic tests that will greatly influence our day to day clinical decision making. The diagnosis of cancer and many other diseases is fundamentally based on the microscopic study of cells and tissues. Nevertheless, the era of the pathologist relying entirely on the examination of tissue sections stained by histochemical methods is gradually being replaced by a time when advanced immunologic and molecular techniques augment the process by which complicated infectious, inflammatory, metabolic and neoplastic diseases are diagnosed and classified. The pathologists will continue to play a fundamental role in diagnosis and will likely be in a pivotal position to guide the implementation and interpretation of these tests as they move from the research laboratory into diagnostic pathology. As we move further into a new era, the usefulness and ease of implementation of molecular test