Utility of ultrasonography as an auxiliary method in the diagnosis of lesions in oral soft tissues

• Published in: Oral radiology Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 137 - 142
• Main Authors: Martins, Felipe Leal, Salum, Fernanda Gonçalves, Cherubini, Karen, de Figueiredo, Maria Antonia Zancanaro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.09.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Dentistry; Imaging; Medicine; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Radiology; Review Article; Oral soft tissues lesions; Oral pathology; Intraoral lesions; Diagnosis by imaging; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 0911-6028; 1613-9674
• DOI: 10.1007/s11282-015-0199-3

A review was made of the literature about the indications, advantages, and limitations of ultrasonography as a complementary examination in the area of odontology during the diagnosis of soft tissue changes in the maxillofacial region. A survey of the PubMed database comprising articles from 2000 to 2013 was performed with the following keywords: intraoral lesions, ultrasonography, diagnosis by imaging, oral soft tissue lesions, and oral pathology. Although ultrasonography is rarely requested by oral surgeons, the results demonstrated its use as a complementary examination that aided in the establishment of differential and/or conclusive diagnoses of innumerable diseases. It can demonstrate the presence of mucous, submucous, cutaneous, or subcutaneous nodules, and their respective diameters and precise localizations. It determines whether lesions are solid or contain liquid, differentiates edemas from abscesses, and identifies cysts, salivary gland pathologies, and vascular lesions, besides contributing to the staging of cervical metastases. Like other available imaging examinations, ultrasonography has specific indications and limitations. However, compared with other methods, it demonstrates widely favorable results for its use. It is suggested that this resource should be promoted in the odontology field as another alternative for obtaining a clinical diagnosis for oromaxillofacial changes. Ultrasonography is an innocuous and non-invasive examination, which is readily available and of low cost, and has eminent potential for assisting in the diagnosis of orofacial soft tissue diseases. However, to date, it has been infrequently used by oral surgeons, who are often not aware of its effective indications and advantages in relation to classical methods of diagnosis.