The Study of Micronucleus Index in Patients Presenting with Pre Malignant Lesions

Micronucleus (MN) is the nucleus that expresses the genotypic alterations caused in the process of malignancy. It is characteristically seen in exfoliated epithelial cells like Buccal Mucosa and urinary bladder wall during pre-cancerous and cancerous conditions in less and large proportions respectively. It is commonly used as a Biomarker to assess the stage and severity of neoplasm. Aim of our study is to observe the micronucleus Index in patients presenting with pre-malignant oral lesions. 30 patients with pre-malignant lesions from the Department of oral medicine, Vydehi Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre were screened for the presence of micronucleus in the buccal scrapings obtained from the site of the lesion in the oral cavity by conventional methods. The obtained slides were stained by using Haematoxylin& Eosin stains and the micronucleus index was calculated. The results showed that the alteration of micronucleus count was observed in premalignant conditions with respect to age and gender.Hence it can be concluded that the micronucleus index can be used as a biomarker or as a screening test in patients presenting with pre malignant conditions.