Comparison of Prevalence of Micronuclei in Oral Exfoliated Cells Among Tobacco and Non-Tobacco Users

Abstract

Micronuclei serves as biomarkers of genotoxic damage and are indicative of chromosomal instability, which is linked to an increased risk of oral cancer. This study aims to compare the prevalence of micronuclei in oral exfoliated cells among tobacco users and non-tobacco users. Two groups are used, where 100 tobacco users are the test group and 50 non-tobacco users are for the control group. Oral exfoliated cells obtained via cytological smears from the buccal mucosa. The smear was placed on a cleaned slide. Papanicolaou (Pap) staining techniques were used to identify and quantify micronuclei under a light microscope. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. There was a statistically significant association between tobacco use and the presence of micronuclei in oral exfoliated cells (χ²(1) = 120.93, p < 0.001). Micronuclei were observed in all examined high-power fields among tobacco users, whereas the majority of fields in non-tobacco users showed no detectable micronuclei. The findings indicate that tobacco users exhibit a significantly higher prevalence of micronuclei in oral exfoliated cells compared to non-tobacco users. This study confirmed a significant increase in the prevalence of Micronuclei in oral exfoliated cells among tobacco users compared to non-tobacco users, its highlight that tobacco use leads to increased genomic damage in oral epithelial cells, and also suggest that tobacco exposure, whether through smoking or smokeless forms, induces genotoxic damage, leading to chromosomal instability. Early screening, awareness programs, and smoking cessation efforts to reduce the risk of oral cancer.