Jahanshah Salehinejad - Dental Research Center, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Nasser Mahdavi-Shahri - Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Nooshin Mohtasham - Dental Research Center, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Hamid Ejtehadi - Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Introduction: A strong relationship exists between cigarette smoking and the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Smoking can significantly increase cellular proliferation. Nevertheless, there is little reference in literature to the cytological assessment of oral mucosa in this respect. Methods: Changes in nuclear and neucleolar cytomorphometric parameters such as diameter, surface, number and color intensity, in cytologic smears which were collected from normal buccal mucosa of 30 cigarette smokers and 30 non smokers, using methyl green-pyronin staining were studied. Results: Our findings attested to smoking as significant inductive factor in cytochemistry as well as morphologic changes. Conclusion: This technique is a valuable tool

Cytochemistry, methyl green-pyronine, nucleolus, oral mucosa, Smoking