Challenges in primary biopsies of oral squamous cell carcinoma: a comparative study of factors affecting biopsy success in Finnish patients.

General dental practitioners must be both alert and properly trained to perform biopsies. However, considering the internationally varying role of general dental practitioners in biopsy procedures, this requirement must be understood within the context of each country's health care system. OSCC biopsies generally yield high diagnostic success; however, small biopsy size especially impairs diagnostic accuracy. Ensuring larger or several biopsy samples in general and ensuring representative biopsies from particularly challenging areas, such as the gingiva and floor of the mouth, improves the likelihood of conclusive diagnosis in primary OSCC diagnostics. Additionally, clinicians should pay more attention not only to the area but also to biopsy depth. Taken together, there may be a need for more precise biopsy guidelines and protocols for lesions suspicious for OSCC to optimize patient treatment planning.