Evaluation of Micronucleus Frequency and Related Factors in the Buccal Mucosa of Cone Beam Computed Tomography-Exposed Subjects

Background and aim: The ionizing radiation has been recognized to have deleterious effects on the DNA and induce cell death. Due to the importance of evaluating the DNA alterations in buccal mucosa cells induced by the ionizing radiation and by considering the limited volume of the samples used in previous studies, the present study aimed to assess the micronucleus (MN) incidence in the buccal mucosa of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)-exposed patients of an oral and maxillofacial radiology center during 2016. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted by using the target-based sampling. All the subjects, corresponding to the inclusion criteria, had been exposed to CBCT radiation according to their treatment plans. The specimens were scraped from the buccal mucosa of the participants by a damp spatula and were subsequently stained by Papanicolaou staining process. The percentage of the micronucleated cells was reported after evaluation under a light microscope. Also, the multiple linear regression (MLR) method was approached to statistically analyze the correlation between the MN frequency and the age and gender of the participants. Results: The lowest and highest percentages of the MN frequency were respectively equal to 8.20% and 27.10% with the mean MN frequency of 17.68±4.98. Also, there was no significant correlation between the age and gender of the subjects and the MN frequency (P>0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, there was no significant correlation between the age and gender of the participants and the MN frequency.