Published in the journal Cancers, the test is known as the Quantitative Malignant Index Diagnosis System, or qMIDS for short.
In a statement on its website, Queen Mary University of London, where the device was developed, said: “Until now there hasn’t been a perfect way to identify the lesions likely to develop into cancer.
“qMIDS diagnostic accuracy would mean that 90 percent of low-risk patients could be discharged from hospital to go back to their dentist or GP for review.
“Or they might be tested in the dentist’s surgery and only referred to secondary care if they were high risk.”