Study Of Sex Determination By Presence Of Sex Chromatin In Oral Mucosal Cells

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In oral smear, a small condensed mass of sex chromatin usually located just inside the nuclearmembrane of the nucleus is called Barr body. The study of Barr bodies is advantageous for sex determination bypresence or absent. Oral mucosal smear of 150 students (79 female students and 71 male students in the agegroup of 17 to 32 years) from P.D.U. Govt. medical college, Rajkot were selected with aim to study oral mucosalcells for presence of sex chromatin in oral mucosal smear and to measure efficacy of oral smear in determinationof sex by presence of sex chromatin during 2012 to 2014.Method: Oral smear was prepared for sex determination by scrapping buccal mucosa with wooden spatula andobtained turbid suspension, these were smeared on a glass slide, fixed by mixture of Methanol and Glacialacetic acid in the ratio of 31 for 10 min and stained by Carbol Fuschin for 15-20 min at room temperature, aftertaking informed written consent from students. Smears were examined with Compound light uniocular microscopeunder 100x magnification (Oil immersion), cells and nuclei were easily identified.Observations and Results: One hundred cells were counted in each slide. Mean value of Barr body positive cellsin male was 0.647 and Mean value of Barr body positive cells in female was 35.215 and range of percentage ofBarr body positive cells in male was 0-5% and range of percentage of Barr body positive cells in female was 0-55%. Presence of sex chromatin in oral mucosal cell of female was statistically significant. (P value < 0.05).Conclusion: Mean value of Barr body positive cells in male was 0.647 ± 1.148, Mean value of Barr body positivecells in female was 35.215 ± 10.28, range of percentage of Barr body positive cells in female was 0-55% and rangeof percentage of Barr body positive cells in male was 0-5%. Presence of sex chromatin in oral mucosal cell offemale was statistically significant. (P value<0.05) Mean values of sex chromatin positive oral mucosal cells ofmale was lower than mean value of sex chromatin positive oral mucosal cells in female, that is the supportingfact that sex chromatin is present in female in higher frequency. Sex chromatin can be used as simple and easilyavailable method for sex determination.