Quantitative Analysis of AgNOR Counts and Pap Stain in Exfoliative Cytology Specimens of Oral Mucosa in Bidi Smokers and Nonsmokers

Bidi smoking is a serious health hazard which is common throughout South Asia and parts of the Middle East. It has been strongly implicated to various benign and malignant lesions of oral cavity and oropharynx. These tobacco-filled leaves deliver more than three times the amount of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar as cigarettes which exert injurious effects on cells reflected in terms of accelerated proliferative activity in normal oral mucosal cells