Abstract

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of oral brush cytology and compare morphological alterations of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) subjects and healthy individuals.
Methodology: The study included 50 known cases of OSMF alongside 48 asymptomatic areca nut products chewers and 48 non-chewers (healthy individuals). A total of 146 subjects were included. Oral mucosa cytological smears were obtained and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin to observe morphology and were statistically analyzed.
Results: Age range of symptomatic chewers was 36-45 years while healthy individuals were in range of 26-35 years. Bacterial colonies were found in 42% of cases, 35% asymptomatic chewers and 20% non-chewers (p=0.046). No significant association was recognized between bacterial colonies and gender while a strong statistical association of bacterial colonies and inflammatory cells was noted (p=0.0001). In addition, strong association of fungal colony forming units with inflammatory cells was noted (p=0.0001).
Conclusion: The risk of OSMF metastasis is influenced by many cytological parameters that are not commonly analyzed. Potential organisms and altered morphological features could serve as the causative factor.

Key words: Bacterial colony, fungal colony, inflammatory cells, oral cytology.