There are oral lesions whose diagnosis can be made relying on data gathered during the history and/or physical examination, but there are others where histopathological studies are needed to confirm the presumed clinical diagnosis.
Biopsy is a surgical procedure to obtain tissue from a living organism for its microscopical examination, usually to perform a diagnosis.
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A whole organ or a whole lump is removed (excised). These are less common now, since the development of fine needle aspiration.
Some surgeons prefer excisional biopsies of most breast lumps to ensure the greatest diagnostic accuracy.
In this Dental Minute video, Dr. Cutbirth discusses how to make an Excisional Soft Tissue Biopsy.