The purpose of our research is to identify causative metals by using Pertilce Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) to directly analyze trace elements in the oral mucosal tissue affected by oral lichen planus (OLP). The subjects were 44 patients with OLP, and the patients were 16 males and 28 females, with a mean age of 62.9. The control was an elemental analysis by PIXE of the oral mucosa of 100 healthy persons.
Seventeen essential elements―Si, Cu, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Se, Mo, Sn, Ge, As, Br, Rb, and Pd ―were detected. Twelve contaminating elements were also detected―Al, Ti, Ga, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ag, Sb, Au, Hg, Pb, and Y. These findings were similar to those of mucosal tissue from healthy individuals. A comparison of detection rates and abundance showed that the mucosal tissue of the OLP group tended to have lower detection rates but a higher abundance of contaminating elements that should not exist in the body than the mucosal tissue of healthy individuals.
Additionally, the types of elements detected from serum, mucosal tissue, and saliva collected from the same individual were identical.
It is possible that contaminating elements accumulate in the mucosal tissue and are excreted along with the shedding of the mucosal epithelium.
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