ABSTRACT
Background: Exposure of Genotoxic agents like formalin causes cancer. The duration of exposure and thequantity of exposure plays an important role in inducing the nuclear abnormalities. The nuclear abnormalitiesare BN, KR, KL.Objective: This study provides an easy and inexpensive way to assess the formalin induced nuclear abnormalitiesin different groups with different duration of exposure.Materials and methods: Fifty individuals with different duration of exposure were included in our descriptivestudy. Oral squamous cells were collected with the wooden spatula. The slides were fixed with methanolglutaraldehyde fixative and stained with Giemsa, May-Grunwald stains. After air drying, 1000 cells were screenedfor nuclear abnormalities like BN, KR, KL.Results: Nuclear abnormalities like KR, KL, BN were assessed. KL is more in less than 1-year exposure group.KR ismore in long term exposure groups. BN cells are seen 6 – 10 and 10 – 15 years exposure group.Conclusion: The genotoxic effect of formalin was confirmed by the increase in the nuclear abnormalities especiallyby the increase in the frequency of KR in tong term exposed group and KL in less than 1-year exposed group