Frequency of micronucleated exfoliated cells in oral lichen planus

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of micronucleated exfoliated cells (MEC) in atrophic and erosive oral lichen planus (OLP). Materials and methods: Twenty-two patients with atrophic and/or erosive OLP participated in this study. Lesions were scored ranging from 0 (no lesion) to 5 (large erosion) according to the severity and assessed for MEC. Exfoliated cells were obtained by swabbing the lesions and normal-appearing mucosa adjacent to the lesions. Swabbing was also performed in age-sex-matched normal individuals. Five hundred exfoliated cells were screened for nuclear anomalies including micronuclei, karyorhexis, pycnosis, and chromatid clumping. Results: The severity score of OLP ranged from 2 to 4 with the average of 2. The frequency of MEC in OLP patients was 3.79% and 0.37% in the lesions and normal-appearing mucosa, respectively. In normal individuals, the frequency of MEC was also 0.37%. Using a paired t-test, it was found that the MEC frequency in the OLP lesions was significantly elevated Q) < 0.01) as compared to that in normal-appearing mucosa adjacent to lesions and that in normal individuals. There were no statistically significant differences in the MEC frequency of the three severity scores as analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance on ranks (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed an increase in micronuclei in OLP lesions. The results indicate genotoxic damage in atrophic and erosive OLP (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.