ABSTRACT
Context: The ongoing pandemic has affected all the spheres of life and one of the severely affected avenues is the education of a child. The online education has seen an upward curve since the start of COVID-19 pandemic. Schools globally have adopted online class tutorials as the main method to impart education and directly increasing the screen time for a child. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytological effects of prolonged mobile phone usage on the buccal mucosa of children. Settings and Design: Stratified sampling was used for the selection of subjects for the study. After a questionnaire regarding the usage of a mobile phone was distributed among the parents of children. Among them, 90 children were selected on the basis of pattern and frequency of mobile phone usage in the child. Materials and Methodology: The children were divided into three groups based on the per day hours of viewing of mobile phone, i.e., Group 1: Usage of 1–2 h a day, Group 2: Usage of 3–6 h a day, and Group 3: Usage of >6 h a day. The time frame taken into consideration was 1 year after the pandemic started. This was specifically to understand the impact of the online education. Swab was obtained by using the conventional ice-cream stick method from the buccal mucosa. Statistical Analysis: The samples were subjected to histological and microscopical analysis to observe for cytological changes. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the statistical significance if any. Results: The results obtained clearly showed that Group 3 (>6 h usage per day) showed the highest number of cellular and chromosomal aberrations which was significant. Conclusion: The results indicated that impact due to the prolonged screen time on the buccal mucosa is significant. A direct proportionality was seen between the apoptotic changes and chromosomal aberrations and the number of daily hour usage.
ABSTRACT
Abstract This research aimed to conduct a systematic review and metanalysis to compare the frequency of cell damage in crack users and nonusers, through Micronucleous (MN) test in buccal mucosa cells. A comprehensive search was carried out on MEDLINE via PubMeb, Web of Science, LILACS and the grey literature without restrictions. It was included case-control studies that report the frequency of micronuclei in the oral mucosa of adult crack users and nonusers. A review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018115672), and conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines for the report of this systematic review. Furthermore, study quality was evaluated using an adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional studies.The original search yielded 27 references, after eligibility criteriaonly five articles were included. The number of micronuclei was higher in crack users compared to nonusers. Also, secondary outcomes: binucleated cells, nuclear buds, pyknosis, karyorrhexis and karyolysis had higher prevalence in crack users.Crack use is associated with genotoxic and mutagenic effects because there is a higher frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated cells of crack users. In addition, MN test proved to be a goodbiomarker to assess the mutagenic impact of crack use in oral epithelium.
Resumen Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo realizar una revisión sistemática y un meta-análisis para comparar la frecuencia de daño celular en usuarios de crack y sin crack, a través de la prueba de micronúcleos (MN) en células de la mucosa bucal. Se realizó una búsqueda exhaustiva en MEDLINE a través de PubMeb, Web of Science, LILACS y la literatura gris sin restricciones. Se incluyeron estudios de casos y controles que informaron la frecuencia de micronúcleos en la mucosa oral de usuarios adultos de crack y sin crack. Se registró un protocolo de revisión con PROSPERO (CRD42018115672), y se realizó de acuerdo con las pautas de PRISMA para el informe de esta revisión sistemática. Además, la calidad del estudio se evaluó mediante una escala Newcastle-Ottawa adaptada para estudios transversales. La búsqueda original arrojó 27 referencias, después de los criterios de elegibilidad se incluyeron un total de cinco artículos. El número de micronúcleos fue mayor en los usuarios de crack en compa ración con los usuarios sin crack. Además, los resultados secundarios de células binucleadas, yemas nucleares, picnosis, cario- rrexis y cariólisis tuvieron una mayor prevalencia en los usuarios de crack. El uso de crack se asocia con efectos genotóxicos y mutagénicos porque hay una mayor frecuencia de micronúcleos en las células exfoliadas de los usuarios de crack. Además, la prueba de MN demostró ser un buen biomarcador para evaluar el impacto mutagénico del uso de crack en el epitelio oral.