Frequency of Micronucleated Cells as Expressed in Different Clinical Stages of Oral Submucous Fibrosis and Histopathological Grades of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients: A Cross-Sectional and Hospital-Based Study

Abstract Background and Aim: Genetic insults in lieu of exposure to different carcinogenic agents are often expressed in the form of micronuclei in a cell. The intent of the present cross-sectional and hospital-based study was to assess the frequency of micronucleated cells (MNCs) as expressed in the different clinical stages of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and histopathological grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. Materials and Methods: For the present study, 150 subjects, including patients who were detected with OSMF and OSCC, were enrolled, while they were subjected to an oral exfoliative cytology procedure, and the frequency of MNCs was calculated using a differential counter. Comparison of the means was done using the Kruskal–Wallis H -test with post hoc Bonferroni correction applied to conduct pairwise comparisons among independent groups. A probability value ( P value) less than 0.05 was contemplated as statistically significant. Results: The mean MNC% in controls was calculated as 0.3 ± 0.35% in the present study as against 1.22 ± 0.37% in OSMF patients and 2.0 ± 0.60% in OSCC patients with statistically significant results ( P < 0.001). Likewise, the mean MNC% was calculated as 0.71 ± 0.08% in Stage I OSMF as against 1.31 ± 0.18% in Stage II and 1.59 ± 0.17% in Stage III OSMF, while 1.15 ± 0.11% in Stage I OSCC as against 1.59 ± 0.25% in Stage II and 2.23 ± 0.30% and 2.68 ± 0.19% in Stage III and Stage IV OSCC, respectively, with statistically significant differences among them ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: The mean MNC% increased significantly in OSCC patients as against the control and OSMF groups and OSMF patients as against controls, thus suggesting micronuclei assay as a useful diagnostic adjunct for screening high-risk populations.