Biopsy and Tissue Processing Artifacts in Oral Mucosal Tissues

Artifact refers to an artificial structure or tissue alteration on a prepared microscopic slide—the result of an extraneous factor. It can result in alteration of normal morphologic and cytologic features that may occur as a result of the way the tissue has been handled, right from the time the biopsy, which is surgically obtained till the entire histopathological procedures of fixation, processing, embedding, sectioning and staining are performed on it. The procedures themselves subject to human and material errors resulting in an artifact may interfere with an adequate diagnosis or render the tissue to be undiagnosable. The present review provides in depth knowledge on the mismanagement of tissue during different biopsy sampling techniques and various processing procedures leading to the appearance of artifacts. Such familiarization in turn will contribute to knowledge of the material and instruments required for correct biopsy performance in dentistry, as well as of the material required for correct sample storage, transport and processing thereby necessitating stringent precision in technique at every step to enable an accurate diagnosis.