Abstract：
Oral cytology is a non-invasive adjunctive diagnostic tool with a number of potential applications in the practice of dentistry. This brief review begins with a history of cytology in medicine and how cytology was initially applied in oral medicine. A description of the different technical aspects of oral cytology is provided, including the collection and processing of oral cytological samples, and the microscopic interpretation and reporting, along with their advantages and limitations. Applications for oral cytology are listed with a focus on the triage of patients presenting with oral potentially malignant disorders and oral mucosal infections. Furthermore, the utility of oral cytology roles across both expert (for example, secondary oral medicine or tertiary head and neck oncology services) and non-expert (for example, primary care general dental practice) clinical settings is explored. A detailed section covers the evidence-base for oral cytology as a diagnostic adjunctive technique in both the early detection and monitoring of patients with oral cancer and oral epithelial dysplasia. The review concludes with an exploration of future directions, including the integration of artificial intelligence for automated analysis and point of care \'smart diagnostics\', thereby offering some insight into future opportunities for a wider application of oral cytology in dentistry.
摘要：
口腔细胞学是一种非侵入性辅助诊断工具，在牙科实践中具有许多潜在应用。这篇简短的评论从医学细胞学的历史以及细胞学最初如何应用于口腔医学开始。提供了口腔细胞学的不同技术方面的描述，包括口腔细胞学样本的收集和处理，以及微观解释和报告，以及它们的优点和局限性。列出了口腔细胞学的应用，重点是对患有口腔潜在恶性疾病和口腔粘膜感染的患者进行分类。此外，口腔细胞学角色在两位专家中的效用(例如，二级口腔医学或三级头颈部肿瘤学服务)和非专家(例如，初级保健一般牙科实践)的临床设置进行了探索。详细部分介绍了口腔细胞学作为早期发现和监测口腔癌和口腔上皮异型增生患者的辅助诊断技术的证据基础。审查最后探讨了未来的发展方向,包括用于自动分析和“智能诊断”的人工智能集成，从而为口腔细胞学在牙科中的广泛应用提供了对未来机会的一些见解。
