Effects of smokeless tobacco and snuff on oral mucosa of experimental animals.
The effects of smokeless tobacco on oral mucosa were studied in 60 Syrian hamsters. Histologic study of the buccal pouch mucosa revealed no significant pathologic changes at either ten or 20 weeks after the start of the experiment. However, studies on epithelial whole mounts revealed a statistically significant decrease in mitotic activity and a statistically significant increase in the number of Langerhans' cells in animals subjected to daily use of tobacco or snuff for 20 weeks.
D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D006224:Cricetinae; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008938:Mitosis; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless