A biopsy may be performed during an oral cancer screening examination when the dentist comes across an abnormal lesion or growth. A biopsy is a surgical process where a small piece of tissue is removed for pathological examination to rule out any cancerous growth. An oral biopsy can be done on the gums, tongue, inside the cheeks, and the floor of the mouth.
An oral biopsy can be incisional or excisional. In an incisional biopsy, a piece of the lesion tissue and normal tissue is taken and examined against each other. In excisional, the entire lesion is removed and sent for pathological examination.