Cytologic and cytometric analysis of oral mucosa in Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze cytomorphologically the buccal mucosa of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).


METHODS
Brush biopsies were obtained from 10 patients with AD and 9 age-matched controls without neurologic symptoms from 3 distinct oral sites.


RESULTS
A significant reduction in partially keratinized intermediate (red) cells was observed in the buccal mucosa of the AD group. In the AD group, parabasal cells from the floor of the mouth (p = 0.017) and buccal mucosa (p = 0.058) and red cells,from the tongue dorsum (p = 0.013) and buccal mucosa (p = 0.002), exhibited significantly greater nuclear areas. With regard to the nuclear to cytoplasmic (N:C) ratio, intermediate (red) cells from the buccal mucosa and tongue dorsum of AD individuals showed a decrease in this parameter (p <0.0001), while superficial (yellow) cells (from buccal mucosa) (p= 0.042) and parabasal (blue) cells (from the tongue dorsum) (p = 0.003) exhibited an increased N:C ratio. No significant differences were detected in the cells from the floor of the mouth.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that cytologic and cytometric changes were detectable in the exfoliative cytology of the buccal mucosa and tongue in the AD group.
Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
Raquel Mazzilli Toscano
RM
de Oliveira
Erica Negrini
EN
Lia
Renato Maia
RM
Guimarães
Anamélia Lorenzetti
AL
Bocca
Florêncio Figueiredo
FF
Cavalcante Neto
Tarcília Aparecida
TA
da Silva
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000473:pathology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*