title: Exfoliative cytology of the oral mucosa in burning mouth syndrome: a cytomorphological and cytomorphometric analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate oral epithelial cells by exfoliative cytology in burning mouth syndrome (BMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Oral smears were collected from clinically normal-appearing mucosa by liquid-based exfoliative cytology in 40 individuals (20 BMS patients and 20 healthy controls matched for age and gender) and analysed for cytological and cytomorphometric techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean values of nuclear area (NA) for experimental and control groups were, respectively, 67.52 and 55.64 μm² (p < 0.05). Cytoplasmic area (CA) showed the following mean values: 1258.0 (experimental) and 2069.0 μm² (control). Nucleus-to-cytoplasm area ratio for the experimental group was 0.07, besides the control group was 0.03 (p < 0.05). Morphologically, oral smears exhibited normal epithelial cells in both experimental and control groups. There was a significant predominance of nucleated cells of the superficial layer in the smears of BMS patients (p = 0.00001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study revealed that oral mucosa of BMS patients exhibited significant cytomorphometric changes in the oral epithelial cells. These changes probably are associated with epithelial atrophy and a deregulated maturation process that may contribute to the oral symptoms of pain and discomfort in BMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, School of Dentistry, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Talita
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wandeur
authors.forename: Sérgio Adriane Bezerra
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: de Moura
authors.forename: Ana Miryam Costa
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
authors.forename: Maria Ângela Naval
authors.initials: MÂ
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Luciana Reis de Azevedo
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Alanis
authors.forename: Ana Maria Trindade
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Grégio
authors.forename: Paula Cristina
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Trevilatto
authors.forename: Antonio Adilson Soares
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: de Lima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D048430:Cell Shape; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents