Immunofluorescence in Oral Mucosal Diseases -A Review

Abstract

Oral mucosal vesiculobullous and ulcerative lesions are frequently present diagnostic problems because the lesions may resemble each other clinically and routine biopsies may offer histological similarities and diagnosis of nonspecific inflammation. Thus, immunofluorescence is increasingly being used with routine histology to accurately diagnose these lesions. Immunofluorescence is a reliable biochemical staining technique for the detection of antibodies, which are bound to antigen in the tissue or in circulating body fluids. The relative simplicity and accuracy of the technique has made immunofluorescence a powerful technique in the diagnosis of bullous diseases. The diagnosis of oral mucosal diseases requires clinicopathological correlation and immunofluorescence methods provide a useful adjunct to light microscopy. The two main methods of immunofluorescent labelling are direct and indirect. Immunofluorescence testing can add to the certainty of diagnosis, sometimes modify it and occasionally reveal a differential diagnosis.