Towards Improved Oral Care in Yaounde: Evaluation of Histoclinical Concordance over a Decade

Introduction: Accurate diagnosis of oral lesions relies on close collaboration between clinicians and pathologists, often assessed by histoclinical concordance. Previous work conducted in various regions has highlighted varying levels of this concordance. In Cameroon, despite observations of discordance, few studies have addressed this phenomenon. This study aims to establish the concordance rate between clinical and histopathological diagnoses of oral diseases in the city of Yaoundé over a given period (2012-2021), in order to identify areas for improvement for optimal patient management. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in two Yaoundé health facilities. All records of patients who underwent oral lesion sampling with anatomopathological examination were included. Quantitative data are presented as means with standard deviation, and qualitative data as numbers and percentages. The concordance rate was assessed by the Kappa coefficient, with a statistical significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results: Of 472 biopsies, the mean age of patients was 38.06 ± 20 years, with a slight female predominance (51%). The female/male ratio was 1.06. The most frequent clinical diagnoses were tonsillitis (22.22%), while the most common histopathological diagnoses were pleomorphic salivary gland adenomas (5.3%). The overall concordance rate was 57.83% (total concordance: 53.01%, partial concordance: 4.82%) and the concordance rate was 42.17%. Conclusion: Improving the quality of care requires closer collaboration between clinicians and pathologists. This collaboration is essential to ensure accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment, thus contributing to better patient care and reduced morbidity.