Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common endocrine metabolic disorders and its prevalence has been increasing worldwide. It is a third leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. Diabetes affects several organs including the oral cavity. The oral complications of uncontrolled DM can include xerostomia, infection, poor healing, increased incidence and severity of caries, candidiasis, gingivitis, periodontal disease, periapical abscesses, and burning mouth syndrome. Early diagnosis of the DM is an important aspect of health care. Exfoliative cytology is considered a moderate, straightforward, and noninvasive diagnostic marker for DM. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate cytologic changes of the exfoliated oral mucosal cells of diabetic patients using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining technique to establish its role as diagnostic criteria.

The frequency of micronuclei, enlarged nucleus, perinuclear halo, binucleation, cytoplasmic streaks, Candida, and inflammation were found to be statistically significant.

Clinical observations and results suggested morphologic and functional alterations in oral epithelial cells in diabetic patients, detectable by microscopic and cytomorphometric analysis using exfoliative cytology and can be used in diagnosis.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate cytologic changes of the exfoliated oral mucosal cells of diabetic patients using H&E staining technique to establish its role as diagnostic criteria.

Srinivasan S, Priya NS, Rao K, Umadevi HS, Smitha T, Sheethal HS. Cytomorphological Study of Oral Exfoliated Cells in Type II Diabetes Mellitus Patients. J Health Sci Res 2017;8(1):38-41.