Cytomorphometric Analysis of Buccal Exfoliated Cells in Geriatric and Pediatric Age Groups - A Cross-Sectional Study

Background We have to establish variations in cellular dimensions in buccal smears with respect to age. It can be used as a reference standard while dealing with age-related pathological abnormalities. Aim The study aims to compare the nuclear area (NA), cellular area (CA), and nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio (N:C) of pediatric and geriatric age groups in smears obtained from clinically normal buccal mucosa. Materials and methods Buccal smears were collected from 60 subjects with age groups of <10 and >60 years. Cytological smears were prepared and fixed using alcohol. H&E and Papanicolaou's staining was performed as per manufacturer instructions. Cytomorphometric analysis was carried out using Image J software v.1.52 for CA, NA, and N:C. Statistical analysis using Student's t-test was performed using SPSS version 23.0 (IBM Inc, Armonk, New York).  Results A significant difference (p<0.001) in NA and CA between the pediatric and geriatric age groups was noted. There was no significant difference in N:C among the study groups. Conclusion The present study provides baseline data of two different age groups that can be used for comparison of abnormal cells in suspicious clinical lesions.