Evaluating the Effect of Working in the Dental Radiology Center on Micronucleus Frequency in Buccal Mucosa

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of working in the dental radiology department on the frequency of micronucleus. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Papanicolaou staining was used to count the micronucleus in 63 individuals working in the dental radiology department. The presence of micronucleus cells and their mean frequency in each cell were investigated. Mann- Whitney U test, t test, and chi-square test were used to determine the effect of age, gender, and employment duration on micronucleus frequency per cell. Results: The mean frequency of micronucleus per cell in the control and case groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.4). In addition, no statistically significant difference was observed in males and females regarding the mean frequency of micronucleus per cell (P = 0.6). Employment background and age had no significant impact on the percentage of micronucleus-containing cells and the mean frequency of micronucleus per cell. Conclusions: Working in a dental radiology center had no impact on the percentage of micronucleus-containing cells and the mean frequency of micronucleus per cell.