Oral Pathology: Actual Diagnostic and Prognostic Aspects

Oral Pathology as part of the Head and Neck Pathology is an interdisciplinary field of science. The oral mucosa and the saliva are reflectors of many systemic diseases of the organism and therefore valuable parameters of the diagnosis and prognosis of pathological processes. In the last years many new methods have been integrated in the diagnostic repertoire. Proliferation markers are of predicitive value and characterize the biological behavior of a tumor. Markers are such as oncogenes, growth factor receptors or genetic aberrations. The importance of these new markers shall be discussed concerning the different types of oral cancers and salivary gland tumours.