Assessment of micronuclei frequency in individuals with a habit of tobacco by means of exfoliated oral buccal cells

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To study the genotoxic effects of tobacco on the exfoliated buccal epithelial cells in patients with oral precancerous lesions (OPLs) and Patients with tobacco habit but without oral precancerous lesion(habit controls) by using micronucleus assay as well as the quantification and detection of the biomarkers in these premalignant lesions which will be helpful in finding those patients who are at higher risk for malignant transformation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty samples were collected from the right and left side of buccal epithelial cells obtained from 20 individuals, i.e., 10 patients with habit control and 10 patients with OPLs. Statistical analysis was performed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21.0 Unpaired t-test was performed to determine the micronucleated cell (MNC) and micronuclei (MN) frequencies in individuals; significance was set at P > 0.05. RESULTS There was an increase in both the MNC and MN frequency from habit controls to OPLs, indicating that the number of cells with chromosomal damage and extent of chromosomal damage in each cell was high in OPLs. CONCLUSION The MN count can be used as a noninvasive tool for early detection, educating patients, screening a large population, and to check the risk for malignancy, which in turn may help in treatment planning.