AgNOR count in exfoliative cytology of normal buccal mucosa : Effect of smoking

To compare the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) count of cells collected from normal buccal mucosa of cigarette smokers with that obtained from nonsmokers. Cytologic smears of normal buccal mucosa from 20 smokers and 20 nonsmokers were stained for AgNORs. The AgNOR count was established on 100 cells. The count values of groups were compared and analyzed using Student's unpaired t test. The AgNORs were round and had a clustered distribution in both groups. The mean AgNOR count was statistically higher in cells of smokers than nonsmokers (P < .01). Analysis of AgNORs suggests that cigarette smoking influences proliferative activity in cells of normal buccal mucosa.