Oral Pathology Biopsy Service

Our oral and maxillofacial pathology services

Since 1950, the goal of the Indiana University School of Dentistry’s Oral Pathology Group has been to provide the finest in oral and maxillofacial pathology services to the professional and lay community in Indiana and across the United States. The knowledge and experience we gain from each case we examine contributes directly to the education of our students and to the knowledge base of our profession.

Order a biopsy kit

Any dentist or physician may order a biopsy kit and informed consent sheet by calling our office. Let us know how many kits you would like, and we will arrange for them to be sent to you within a few days.

Each biopsy kit contains:

  • A plastic bottle containing 10 percent neutral buffered formalin
  • A plastic outer container
  • A patient history sheet
  • An informed consent form
  • Postage paid UPS and USPS return labels

How to use your biopsy kit and history sheet

Place the biopsy specimen in the bottle of formalin, and then place the bottle in the plastic outer container. Put the container into the supplied box along with the completed history sheet and patient/insurance billing information. Use one of the prepaid labels (we recommend UPS) to ship your specimen to us.

Be sure to make a note of the tracking number noted on the prepaid UPS label if you would like to track your shipment.

Completing your history sheet

Please fill out the history sheet supplied with your biopsy kit. All sections must be complete, and patient demographic and insurance information must be accurate. Birth date is a particularly important patient identifier, so make sure it is correct.

Providing supplemental materials

Photographs, radiographs, or other supplemental materials are always helpful. They are most useful if you email a digital copy to us at opg@iupui.edu.

Getting informed consent

We recommend that you ask each patient to sign an informed consent form to be submitted along with the specimen and history sheet. You and the patient should each keep a copy of the signed form.

What we do with your specimen

Once we’ve received the specimen, diagnosis is generally made within 24 hours. However, special stains, decalcification, or other specialized procedures may extend the time required to arrive at a diagnosis.

Each case is reviewed by all of our board-certified oral and maxillofacial pathologists at our daily biopsy service conference. After we’ve completed your report, we will fax it to you and also mail a hard copy.

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