Oral pathology is one of the most important fields within dentistry and plays an essential role, where research complements clinical practice, in today's modern world. The establishment of oral pathology as a clinical course and laboratory practice came into play as early as the 1930s in western countries and was formally introduced and recognized by Robert Gorlin, regarded as the Father of oral pathology, in India, it was Dr. H.M Dholakia. It is a diverse branch in itself and deals with diagnosing diseases confined to the oral region. The role of an oral pathologist is to diagnose cases by a glimpse of a slide, thus directing the clinicians for appropriate treatment planning, regarding them as ‘The Doctor's Doctor and thus rightly standing by the quote by Martin H. Fischer, where he states that ‘Diagnosis may not be the end but a beginning of the practice’. Recently apart from digital scanning techniques, 3D AR or MR (Augmented or Mixed Reality) technology, in vivo microscopy have been incorporated for direct tissue visualization and enhancing cellular features for better and faster results without making the usage of the tedious laboratory procedures. The digital archives of pathology cases, which prove to be an important source of learning material, are being utilized for education and training on this particular subject area.

Currently, factors such as low pay and job opportunities, as well as a lack of awareness of future career prospects, and a poor view of referring and consulting oral pathologists in medical institutions, pose a threat to this specialty. Various studies have been conducted across the world and have tried to understand the pattern of practice in this field and where it stands most have concluded that some factors such as retirement due to age, lack of sense of accomplishment, high workload, and pressure, the difference in lifestyle and working styles from fellow dentists, fierce competition by the clinicians and switching over to higher monthly payment to work as dentists are the key reasons. Even though general dentists are conscious of the role of oral pathologists in today's times, they attribute fewer successes to this field. Lack of guidance on career opportunities and lack of information in training are also the main reasons why people do not want to pursue careers in this area. The degree of importance depends on learning characteristics, occupational experience differences, and gender. The employment of general pathologists to diagnose oral diseases in hospitals, self-financing research studies, lack of motivation and inability to solve numerous problems, and lack of a clear curriculum also contribute to the low scope of this specialty. In countries like India, improvement of research by incorporating central funding agencies for cancer research, and an increase in providing grants can be considered along with scope in legal sectors on training in an additional branch called forensic odontology, where there is an increase in the need of hiring forensic experts due to the unparalleled demand from the criminal justice system thus opening doors to more opportunities in this field. Academic institutions continue to remain one of the mainstays of this specialty along with meeting other challenges for full-fledged practice.

Advances in techniques such as Next Generation Genome Sequencing, Bio-Sensors, Nano-sensors, Pharmacogenomics, Quantum Dot Photoemitters, Saliva Technology, and Artificial Intelligence to name a few could be more widely exploited for improving future perspectives and to study the changes in cell structure and architecture. In laboratories, digital photomicrographs are used to document specimens and to diagnose more accurately, microscopy has also evolved. Regenerative medicine is linked to research, which also includes several paths where recent robotic pathology, knife-edge scanning microscopes, and fast prototyping have made it possible to see 3D tissue structures to study sophisticated morphological characteristics of tissues, in particular for cancer. The accuracy of diagnosis, in particular of pre-malignant lesions, has improved through research in real-time analysis and deep learning algorithms. The time to diagnose patients has been shortened by the introduction of teledentistry. Forensic odontology advancements for identification apart from usual ones include tongue prints where impressions are taken with a photographic image. The use of a laser video camera and computed tomography scanning makes it possible to reconstruct the facial features. Virtual comparison microscopes simultaneously analyse samples. Other methods of identification are marked dentures, scanning electron microscope with fluorescence spectrometers, digital tooth reconstruction using teeth structure recognition techniques, molecular advances through cellular material, and Virtopsy. The development of representative models and patterns is assisted by forensic biorobots and stereolithography printing to provide precise details. Bite mark impressions from victims and suspects are analysed using 3D bite marks. Oral pathologists must therefore have a thorough knowledge of this field, other than general dentists and clinical doctors, to ensure that they are up to date with all the relevant information and practice which is useful for society's benefit as forensic science becomes ever more complex.

In the early detection of cancer and premalignant conditions, newer non-invasive biopsy techniques are being used including liquid biopsy using human fluids. Moreover, methods such as tissue autofluorescence and coherence techniques using laser-based imaging systems for the detection of tissue light properties are also applied. A specific branch known as cytopathology is also applied for the collection of cell samples to provide rapid information on cancer cases. Least invasive methods now are considered for increased accuracy in sample detection such as Cell Block, Oral Cytology brush, and Fine Needle Aspiration cytology techniques, and for diagnosis, Immunocytochemistry is done for detecting at molecular levels. 'SMART Cytology' which has recently been introduced analyses the cell types of a sample using computer analysis. Changes in the curriculum widened opportunities, inculcating early interest among students, and improving the quality of research can contribute to the improvement in this coveted field.

Since it is a prestigious and sought-after field, it has come a long way since the beginning of recent advances, opening up to a wide range of learning, teaching, practice, and research activities. Like there is no body without a soul, no river without water, oral pathology is the very soul of dentistry that is to be given utmost importance as it is that branch that 'goes beyond the lens', becoming known to be the 'third eye ' for unravelling the mysteries and oral pathologists being the doctors behind the microscope, rendering this field to be the unsung hero in saving patient’s lives. The impressive progress has changed the game of oral pathology, restoring its glory, and moving on to a brighter future.

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