Significance of Oral Brush Cytology of Oral Mucosal Lesions in Gutkha Chewers: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Aims and objectives: 1. To know the patterns of clinical and pathological manifestations of oral mucosal lesions in Gutkha chewers and its potential impact on the population, 2. Assess the significance of the oral brush cytology in oral mucosa of Gutkha chewers. Materials and methods: A total number of 2396 patients with oral mucosal lesions were screened. A total of 150 cases were studied with oral mucosal lesions diagnosed in patients with Gutkha chewing habit. The distribution of patients included both males and females of all age groups and socioeconomic status compared with the controls. In this aspect, oral brush cytology can be used to detect such precancer and cancerous conditions in advance. Results: On cytological diagnosis, 88 were normal/inflammatory, and five were inconclusive on brush cytology smears seen of 93 OSMF cases. Out of 30 clinically diagnosed carcinoma cases, brush cytology was four normal/inflammatory, 25 dysplasia positive and one inconclusive. Only three cases of leukoplakia and one case of moderate dysplasia were expressed suspicious on brush cytology. All the clinically diagnosed cases were proven on histopathology. Conclusion: This study supports the hypothesis that Gutkha chewing elevates the risk of oral submucous fibrosis, leukoplakia and cancer. Oral brush cytology has been found to be very helpful to detect precancer and cancerous conditions; hence we recommend the use of oral brush cytology as a screening tool in all suspicious intraoral lesions for rapid diagnosis.