Oral cytological changes in young adults related to alcohol consumption

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the oral cytological changes in young adults with recent history of alcohol consumption, as well as its relation with the consumption of alcohol.

Design: The sample included 67 young adults, who performed a smear of the oral mucosa and answered a questionnaire about recent and lifetime consumption of alcohol and other drugs. The methods used were sensitive to show the association between alcohol consumption and other drugs with the damage to oral cavity cells.

Results: DNA fragmentation index, mitochondrial functionality and cell viability, showed a significant difference between alcohol users and nonusers. However, there was no distinction between these parameters and different frequency consumption. Alcohol consumption, economic class and use of illicit drugs were related to the cytological parameters evaluated.

Conclusions: This result shows the existence of cell damages among the evaluated students and can direct future studies towards more in-depth investigations of the mechanisms involved.

Keywords: Ethanol; Flow cytometry; Illicit drugs; Micronucleus test; Oral mucosa.