RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The high consumption of crack has become a serious public health problem. The properties of this drug as well as the effects caused in the body have been approached in different research studies. However, there is no knowledge about the carcinogen level this substance can cause to the user. The presence of micronuclei as biomarkers of genotoxic action reflects the degree of cellular exposure to carcinogens. Considering this fact, the following research aimed to assess the frequency of micronuclei in the oral mucosa of those chemically dependent on crack. METHODS: The sample consisted of buccal mucosa cells from 10 controls, non-smokers, and non-users of drugs and 10 individuals chemically dependent on crack admitted to a hospital. For cell staining, Feulgen technique was applied. RESULTS: Of the 1000 cells analyzed for each sample, the exposed group had an average of 4.3 micronuclei, presenting significant difference (p < 0.01) when compared with the control group, which averaged 0.1 micronuclei. Regarding pictotic cells, the exposed group is also significantly different from the control group (p < 0.01). The karyorrhexis is the nuclear change with the greatest difference between the two groups. It has an average of 347.9 cells undergoing apoptosis for the exposed group, while the control group presented 34.4 cells, obtaining a significant difference, p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The results assessed by micronucleus technique suggested that crack together with other factors associated with the drug might be linked to an increased incidence of micronuclei.