Comparison of Macrophage Frequency in Common Oral Cavity Reactive Lesions

Abstract

Background and Objective: Oral reactive lesions are the most common oral disease. Recent studies have insisted on the presence of macrophages as a crucial component of oral reactive lesions’ microenvironment. The aim of the present study was to compare the macrophages frequency in three common oral reactive lesions by marker CD68 in order to determine the relationship between the frequency of macrophages and the type of the lesion. Methods: In this cross-sectional analytic study, 20 samples of each of the three groups of pyogenic granuloma (PG), irritation fibroma (IF), and peripheral ossifying fibroma (POF), which were prepared by excisional biopsy, were retrieved from the Department of Oral Pathology of Isfahan Dental School. Clinical information including age, gender, and location of the lesions was extracted. In order to determine the frequency of macrophages, immunohistochemical staining for CD68 was performed and the expression level was determined by two oral pathologists with a light microscope blindly and simultaneously based on the SID (Staining intensity distribution) index. Findings: The mean SID±SD indices for PG, IF and POF were 9.15±3.86, 2.2±3.69 and 6.4±4.55, which showed a statistically significant difference regarding the type of the lesions (p<0.001). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between CD68 expression of PG with IF, PG with POF and POF with (p<0.001, p=0.027, p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, macrophages are present as an important part of PG, POF and IF microenvironments in different levels. Therefore, they might be associated with the development of the disease, as well as being used in identifying the type of oral lesion. © 2024 Babol University of Medical Sciences.