Validation of cytopathology as a technique for analysis of epithelial cell maturation in oral mucosa of smokers and nonsmokers.
OBJECTIVE
To validate quantitative analysis of epithelial cells in oral mucosa smears of smokers and nonsmokers.


METHODS
Sixty samples from the oral mucosa of 10 smokers and 10 nonsmokers were collected from the anatomic sites more frequently affected by oral cancer: lower lip, border of the tongue and floor of the mouth. Slides were stained using Papanicolau and Traut techniques; anucleated squamous, nucleated superficial and intermediate cells were counted.


RESULTS
The first 50, the first 100 and all nonoverlapping cells on the slide were counted. To compare percentages of cell types, Pearson's correlation coefficient was used. In the first 50 cells analyzed, there was no significant correlation for anucleated cells in lower lip samples of smokers and border of the tongue samples of nonsmokers; for the other types of cells, a significant correlation was found. For the first 100 cells analyzed, all types of cells in the 3 anatomic sites showed a significant correlation, both in smokers and nonsmokers.


CONCLUSIONS
The quantification of the first 100 cells proved to be sufficient to evaluate the epithelial maturation pattern in smears of the lower lip, border of the tongue and floor of the mouth of smokers and nonsmokers.
Gedoz
Luhana
L
Graduate Program in Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Bohrer
Paula Luce
PL
Paiva
Ricardo Losekan
RL
Burzlaff
João Batista
JB
Rösing
Cassiano Kuchenbecker
CK
Sant'Ana Filho
Manoel
M
Rados
Pantelis Varvaki
PV
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D012907:Smoking / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013194:Staining and Labeling