title: Exfoliative cytology of oral mucosa in kidney transplant patients: a cytomorphometric study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate quantitative cytologic changes in oral mucosal smears collected from kidney transplant patients by modern stereologic methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Smears were obtained from the clinically healthy buccal mucosa and floor of mouth of transplant patients (n = 21) and healthy volunteers (n = 27). Smears from each individual stained by the Papanicolaou method were analyzed using a stereologic method. Nuclear (NV) and cytoplasmic (CV) volumes were evaluated with Stereo Investigator software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CV values were 123,012.71 ± 15,840.96 fL in the floor of the mouth and 133,667.10 ± 26,653.39 fL in the buccal mucosa of the kidney transplant patients. CV values were 133,746.93 ± 14,210.67 fL in the floor of the mouth and 167,797.78 ± 21,007.70 fL in the buccal mucosa of the control group. NV values were 945.68 ± 65.85 fL in the floor of the mouth and 845.15 ± 81.56 fL in the buccal mucosa of the kidney transplant patients and 485.17 ± 18.03 fL in the floor of the mouth and 410.25 ± 52.84 μm(3) in the buccal mucosa of the control group. Significantly higher NV (P = .000) and NV/CV (P = .000) and lower CS (P = .000) values were found in the patient group compared with the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that there were alterations in oral epithelial cells, detectable by microscopy and cytomorphometry in kidney transplant patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey. keles.m@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keles
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tozoglu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Unal
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caglayan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uyanik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Emre
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cayir
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aydinli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*