Objectives: The aim of the present study is to investigate if radiation induces changes in the superficial cells of the oral mucosa and secondly to describe morphological characteristics of the cell surface structure by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Materials and methods: Ten beagle dogs aged 1-2 years were used in this study. One side of each mandible was irradiated in two sessions, each lasting 1 week. The total dosage was 40 Gy (Group A; 5 dogs) and 50 Gy (Group B; 5 dogs), in five fractions of 4 Gy. The other side of mandible (non-irradiated) served as a control. The specimen was harvested with a scalpel from the alveolar mucosa of the irradiated area 1 year after irradiation and studied with SEM.
Results: In the control side, the surface structure of the cell contains straight parallel or branched microplicae (MPL), which were equally spaced over the cell surfaces. Discontinuous and short MPL were typical cell structure of irradiated mucosa. In 50 Gy group, the surface structure of epithelial cell was pitted and the cell boundaries were thick.
Conclusions: The novelty of the present study is that radiation disrupts superficial cells of the oral mucosa. The role of the MPL structure of the superficial cells in mucositis development is discussed.
Keywords: Cell structure; irradiation; microplicae; oral mucosa; scanning electron microscopy.