The objectives of this research were to assess how accurately toluidine blue and/or vinegar can identify oral cancer through screening, and to determine whether clinical staining outcomes using these agents correspond to the expression of the tumor marker p53 and the proliferation marker Ki67. The study included 87 individuals presenting with lesions suspected to be oral squamous cell carcinoma. Lesions were treated with toluidine blue and/or vinegar prior to biopsy. All samples were histopathologically diagnosed and processed immunohistochemically for p53 or Ki67. The findings showed that toluidine blue produced a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 46%, while vinegar showed 85% sensitivity and 81% specificity. A significant association was found between vinegar results and Ki67 expression (p = 0.019). Although p53 levels differed between toluidine-blue–positive and –negative tissues, this association was not statistically significant. Overall, vinegar demonstrated lower sensitivity but greater specificity than toluidine blue for oral cancer screening, and its clinical results aligned with Ki67 expression at the cellular level.
