CYTOMORPHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN ORAL BUCCAL MUCOSAL CELLS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING FIXED ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT - A CASE CONTROL STUDY

Objective: This was a cross-sectional study undertaken to analyze the effects of fixed orthodontic treatment on the cells of oral buccal mucosa. Materials & Methods: The study included two groups (n=20 each), one including healthy adult individuals undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment and the other served as control. Oral buccal mucosal cells were collected as per the principles of exfoliative cytology and stained using a Rapid PAP kit (Biolabs, Maharashtra). The slides were analyzed under a compound light microscope and images of cells taken with a digital camera. Cytomorphometric analysis was performed using Image J software. Results: The nuclear and cellular parameters showed an overall reduction in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment as compared to normal individuals. However, statistically significant reduction could be observed in the values of cell diameter (p=0.039) and cell area (p=0.047) only. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the oral buccal mucosal cells adjacent to the orthodontic brackets shows features suggestive of atrophy.