Oral tuberculosis: An unusual case report.

Tubercular Lesions of oral cavity are relatively uncommon and are generally missed in the differential diagnosis before the systemic symptoms become evident. The purpose of this article is to know the varied presentation of tuberculosis in the oral cavity and also highlights the prime role of Oral Pathologist in making the diagnosis of this disease.

Comparative evaluation of different histoprocessing methods.

OBJECTIVES: Tissue processing for years is carried out by the conventional method, which is a time-consuming technique resulting in 1-day delay in diagnosis. However, in this area of modernization and managed care, rapid diagnosis is increasingly desirable to fulfill the needs of clinicians. The objective of the present study was to compare and determine the positive impact on turnaround times of different tissue processing methods by comparing the color intensity, cytoplasmic details, and nuclear details of the tissues processed by three methods. METHODS: A total of sixty biopsied tissues were grossed and cut into three equal parts. One part was processed by conventional method, second by rapid manual, and third by microwave-assisted method. The slides obtained after processing were circulated among four observers for evaluation. Sections processed by the three techniques were subjected to statistical analysis by Kruskal-Wallis test. Cronbach's alpha reliability test was applied to assess the reliability among observers. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing mean shrinkage before and after processing. RESULTS: All observers were assumed to be reliable as the Cronbach's reliability test was statistically significant. The results were statistically non-significant as observed by Kruskal-Wallis test. One-way ANOVA revealed a significant value on comparison of the tissue shrinkage processed by the three techniques. The histological evaluation of the tissues revealed that the nuclear-cytoplasmic contrast was good in tissues processed by microwave, followed by conventional and rapid manual processing techniques. The color intensity of the tissues processed by microwave was crisper, and there was a good contrast between the hematoxylin and eosin-stained areas as compared to manual methods. CONCLUSION: The overall quality of tissues from all the three methods was similar. It was not feasible to distinguish between the three techniques by observing the tissue sections. Microwave-assisted tissue processing has reduced the time from sample reception to diagnosis, thus enabling the same-day processing and diagnosis.

Distinct perturbations of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients: A quantitative cytomorphometric analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Oral cancer constitutes a major health issue in developing countries, representing the leading cause of death. Quantitative assessment by sophisticated diagnostic techniques is becoming increasingly important. Hence, a histochemical staining procedure and morphometric evaluation are used to obtain optimal information on the cellular events. The objective of present study is to assess the variation in cellular area, nuclear area, cellular diameter, nuclear diameter and nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio respectively in normal subjects, smokeless tobacco users, (smokers, combination and oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. METHODS: Total 125 number of subjects were divided into five groups, each comprising 25 subjects of more than 40 years of age. These groups were: a. Normal, b. smokeless tobacco users, c. smokers d. combination and e. oral squamous cell carcinoma. Oral smears were obtained, stained with Feulgen stain and the cells were measured cytomorphometrically using Nikon imaging software. RESULTS: Our study showed a significant reduction in the cellular diameter, cellular area and increase in the nuclear diameter, nuclear area and nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients as compared to tobacco users and normal patients. Significant changes were found in group I, II, III and IV when compared with group V but as such no significant intergroup variation was found in cellular and nuclear dimensions in smokers, smokeless tobacco users, combination and control group. CONCLUSION: Quantitative parameters could be assessed by cytomorphometry. Cytomorphological changes in exfoliated squames could serve as a useful adjunct in the early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Comparison of salivary and serum glucose levels in diabetic patients.

Diabetes mellitus is a noncommunicable disease with a rising prevalence worldwide and in developing countries. The most commonly used diagnostic biofluid for detection of glucose levels is blood, but sample collection is an invasive and painful procedure. Thus, there arises a need for a noninvasive and painless technique to detect glucose levels. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the glucose levels of saliva, to assess if any significant correlation existed between the serum and salivary glucose levels, and to correlate salivary glucose levels with regard to duration of diabetes, age, and gender. In the present study, serum and salivary glucose levels of 200 subjects (100 diabetic subjects and 100 nondiabetic subjects) were estimated by glucose oxidase method. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels were also measured in randomly selected 40 diabetic subjects. The findings of present study revealed a significant correlation between salivary and serum glucose levels in both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. No significant relationship was observed between salivary glucose levels and gender or age in both diabetics and nondiabetics and between salivary glucose levels and duration of diabetes in diabetics. On the basis of the findings, it was concluded that salivary glucose levels could serve as a potentially noninvasive adjunct to monitor glycemic control in diabetic patients.

Oral lichen planus and stress: An appraisal.

INTRODUCTION: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by bilateral white striations or plaques on the buccal mucosa, tongue or gingiva that has a multifactorial etiology, where the psychogenic factors seem to play an important role. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the existing relation between the OLP and psychological alterations of the patient, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospital anxiety and depression scale was applied for psychometric analysis. RESULTS: The study indicates a definitive relationship between a stressful life event and onset and progression of OLP. CONCLUSION: Stress management and bereavement counseling should be a part of management protocol of OLP.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the maxilla: An investigative loom-report of a challenging case and review of literature.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a malignant neoplasm composed of cells showing distinct smooth muscle features. Majority of the tumors are located in the retroperitoneum, including the pelvis and the uterus but are rare in the oral and pharyngeal region. Intraorally, they are present as painless, lobulated, fixed masses of the submucosal tissues in middle-aged or older individuals. Lesions are usually slow growing and are less than 2 cm in diameter at the time of diagnosis. Here we report the clinico-pathological findings of a case of primary LMS of the maxilla in 63-year-old male patient with an emphasis on the judicious use of ancillary diagnostic modalities to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.

Study of lip print pattern in a Punjabi population.

BACKGROUND: Lip prints are unique to each individual and can be used for personal identification. The lip prints show differences according to the race and the ethnic origins of a person. AIM: The objective of the study was to determine the predominant lip print type in a Punjabi population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 106 students of our institution and comprised 56 males and 50 females in the age group of 18-25 years. The middle part of the lower lip was taken as study area. Analysis of lip print pattern was done according to Tsuchihashi Classification. RESULTS: No two lip prints matched with each other. Type 1 pattern (vertical grooves that run across the entire lip) was found to be predominant in both males (51.02%) and females (43.47%) and there was no statistically observed difference between males and females in individual lip print types. CONCLUSION: In our study, lip prints did not match with each other, hence lip prints are unique and further studies with larger samples are required to obtain statistical significance.

Evaluation of micronuclei in tobacco users: A study in Punjabi population.

INTRODUCTION: The assessment of micronuclei in exfoliated cells is a promising tool for the study of epithelial carcinogens and can be used to detect chromosome breakage or mitotic interference, thought to be relevant to carcinogenesis. AIM: The present study aimed to detect micronuclei in exfoliated oral mucosal cells in individuals using various tobacco forms from the last 5 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 75 healthy male subjects (25 smokeless tobacco users, 25 smokers, and 25 non-tobacco users) were selected for the study. Smears were obtained with moistened wooden spatula from buccal mucosa and fixed with 95% alcohol. All the cytologic smears were stained by Papanicolaou technique. From each slide, ~1000 cells were examined under the 400× magnification and where micronucleated (MN) cells were located, they were examined under the 1000× magnification. RESULT: MN cells were found to be significantly higher in smokeless tobacco users than in smokers and controls. CONCLUSION: A positive correlation is found between increased micronucleus frequency and tobacco-using habits. So micronucleus assay can be used as a biomarker of genotoxicity.

Focal cemento-osseous dysplasia masquerading as a residual cyst.

Focal cemento-osseous dysplasia (FCOD) is a benign fibroosseous condition that can be seen in dentulous and edentulous patients. It is an asymptomatic lesion and needs no treatment; however, follow-up is essential due to the possibility that it can progress to a condition called florid cemento-osseous dysplasia. We report a case of FCOD of mandible in a 25-year-old female. Clinically, the lesion resembled periapical pathosis of odontogenic origin. An attempt has been made to discuss the clinical and histopathologic features along with differential diagnosis of cemento-osseous dysplasia.

Sterilization of extracted human teeth: A comparative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Extracted human teeth are regularly used for practice and educational purposes in dental institutions at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Different materials and methods are used for sterilizing extracted teeth to avoid infection from them. AIMS: The present study was done to determine the efficacy of some frequently used methods for disinfection/sterilization of extracted human teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 intact, non-carious teeth extracted due to periodontal or orthodontic purpose were divided randomly into 8 groups consisting of 15 teeth in each group. Agents used for sterilization included 10% formalin, 0.1% thymol in distilled water, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde, 3% hydrogen peroxide, boiled in water (100 °C), autoclave (121 °C, 15 lbs psi), normal saline. Samples were collected with the help of inoculating loop and then streaked over the surface of Mc-Conkey agar medium and Blood agar medium. The media were then incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. No visible growth in the culture medium was considered as the method of effective sterilization. RESULTS: 10% formalin, autoclaving, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite could be efficiently used for sterilization and disinfection of extracted human teeth. CONCLUSION: Extracted teeth should be handled with extreme care as these are potential source of infection and need to be disinfected before they are used in the laboratories.

Mandibular adenomatoid odontogenic tumor: A report of an unusual case.

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) is a slow-growing, benign tumor that appears in the anterior portion of the jaws and more frequently, the anterior maxilla usually in association with the crowns of unerupted teeth. Most of the tumors are diagnosed in second decade of life. A rare case report of AOT associated with an impacted right mandibular first premolar in a 24-year-old female is reported.