Abstract
Oral exfoliative cytology is one of simple examination methods in which cells are scraped from the surface of oral lesions observed under a microscope. The present report of 3 cases describes the patients showing the gingival diseases with vesiculobullous lesions that were presumptively diagnosed by exfoliative cytology. All 3 patients complained of painful and erythematous gingivae. Smears were obtained by brushing the attached gingiva using a cytobrush. Tzanck cells, which were demonstrated two-ton colored cytoplasm; eosinophilic in nuclear surroundings and light-blue in periphery of cytoplasm, were observed in 2 cases. Therefore, the possibility of pemphigus vulgaris was suspected. Cells where virus infection was suggested, those were demonstrated nuclear ground glass appearance and multi-nucleated; each nucleus was face to face with another squeezed together, were observed during the therapeutic process with applying topical corticosteroid in one of the same 2 cases, and additionally in another one case. Thus, the exfoliative cytology was useful in screening for herpes virus infection or pemphigus vulgaris on the gingival lesions in these 3 cases.
