Iron deficiency and smoking. Comparative criteria for buccal mucosa keratinization in menstruating and postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE To compare the degree of keratinization of buccal mucosa between nonsmoking menstruating and postmenopausal women without oral complaints whose iron status was established. STUDY DESIGN Samples collected from 26 nonsmoking, regularly menstruating women (mean age, 26 years) and 18 nonsmoking, postmenopausal women without oral complaints (mean age, 57 years) were stained according to the method of Papanicolaou. Keratinization was evaluated by the karyopyknotic index (KI). Iron status was assessed with blood ferritin levels. RESULTS Mean ferritin values of menstruating and postmenopausal women were statistically significantly different (mean ferritin value = 28.97 micrograms/L and 103.69 micrograms/L, respectively). The difference in the degree of keratinization of buccal mucosa between menstruating women (mean KI = 16.03%) and postmenopausal women (mean KI = 13.16) was statistically nonsignificant. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that the degree of keratinization of buccal mucosa does not show any alteration after menopause.