Evaluation and Comparison of Micronuclei from Intraoral Smears of Petrol Pump Attendants and Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Aim: Evaluation of nuclear anomalies in exfoliated buccal epithelial cells of petrol station attendants and oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. Materials and methods: Study was carried out on 60 subjects. 20 petrol pump attendants, 20-squamous cell carcinoma patients and 20 healthy subjects. They were asked questions regarding their life style and personal factors (age, duration of working in the petrol pump, alcohol consumption and smoking habits) were statistically analyzed. Buccal smears were taken from respective sites and stained with Periodic Acid Schiff. Results: There was a significant number of nuclear abnormalities seen in oral carcinoma group and then followed by the petrol pump workers. Discussion: Micronuclei are identified with presence of a main nucleus and one or more smaller nuclei (micronuclei) in the cells. The micronuclei are usually round or oval in shape and their diameter may range between 1/3 and 1/16, the diameter of the main nucleus. Nuclear abnormalities were classified according to Tolbert et al (1992). These criteria are intended to classify buccal cells into categories that distinguish between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ based on their aberrant nuclear morphology.