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Abstract Oral cancer, predominantly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), remains a major global health burden, with survival outcomes largely compromised by delayed diagnosis. Although early detection significantly improves prognosis, conventional screening methods based on visual examination and histopathological biopsy are limited by subjectivity, inter-observer variability, and reduced sensitivity for early or asymptomatic lesions. Consequently, significant advances have been made in developing adjunctive and non-invasive technologies to enhance early oral cancer detection. This narrative review synthesizes advances in early detection technologies for oral cancer reported between January 2000 and January 2025, based on a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Optical and light-based diagnostic adjuncts, including autofluorescence (AF) imaging, chemiluminescence, narrow band imaging, optical coherence tomography, confocal laser endomicroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution microendoscopy, are reviewed. Emerging molecular and biomarker-based approaches, such as salivary diagnostics, liquid biopsy, and genomic and epigenetic signatures, are also examined, alongside recent developments in artificial intelligence–driven imaging, histopathology, tele-dentistry, nanotechnology-enabled diagnostics, and multimodal data integration. Collectively, these technologies show promise in improving diagnostic accuracy and facilitating real-time screening; however, challenges related to standardization, validation, cost, and clinical integration remain. Robust multicenter validation and integrated diagnostic frameworks are essential for successful clinical translation.
Pateel et al. (2026) studied this question.