A variety of devices and techniques are now available to aid the clinician in visualising clinical changes that may be found in the oral cavity. These techniques can now be applied at chairside to characterise these changes and many offer a real time result at the point of care. They may assist in a practitioner referring a case earlier to a specialist to undertake further investigations. The translational value of the research published so far has been limited as these technologies have not been adapted for routine use in primary care. This review aims to examine the utility of these adjunctive aids in clinical practice based on the current available evidence.