Evaluation of AgNOR Staining in Exfoliative Cytology of Normal Oral (buccal) Mucosa: Effect of Smoking

There are many studies regarding the ability of AgNOR staining to show cellular proliferative activity; including its ability to distinguish the thyroid follicular adenoma andfollicular carcinoma; comparison of dysplastic, and non-dysplastic mucosa; and the SCC grade I, II, III study of curettage normal endometer, hyperplasic and malignant comparison of different types of amelobelastoma. But regarding the comparison of normal buccal mucosa in cigarette smokers and nonsmokers with this staining and in this cytological study, there is only one experiment done by Sampio in Brazilia, and the samples in their study are less than ours. In this basilar-applied study, 60 patients were chosen from patients referred to the Surgical Department of the Mashhad Dental School. Thirty of them were cigarette smokers (smoking at least 20 cigarettes per day for 10 years) and the other 30 were nonsmokers. None of the patients in both groups had any oral lesions, systemic diseases, or stimuli in their mouth. After rinsing with 0.9% sodium chloride for 15 minutes, cytologic samples were prepared, dried, and fixed. The samples were stained using the AgNOR method and observed in immersion oil at 1000 x magnification. Finally, 100 cells were randomly selected; the AgNOR dots counted and their means recorded. The student t-test was used for data analysis. In smokers, the mean AgNOR count was 3.6 and in nonsmokers it was 1.96 (P<0.000l). The percentages of cells, which showed at least 3 AgNOR dots in their nucleuses, were 83.6% in smokers and 21.46% in nonsmokers (P< 0.000l). 1-Cigarette smoking increases cellular proliferation significantly. 2-This proliferation is observable with AgNOR staining before any clinical symptom has appeared.