Ultra fast papanicolaou stain versus conventional papanicolaou stain in oral cytology smears: A comparative study

Background: Exfoliative cytology is the technique of microscopic examination of shed or desquamated cells from the epithelial surface of mucous membrane. Papanicolaou stain (PAP) is the common stain used for these cytological smears. Conventional PAP (cPAP) stain has undergone many modifications, of these ultrafast PAP (UFPAP) is a popular stain used as it shortens the staining time and quality. UFPAP was discovered as a fusion of Romanowsky and PAP. Aim and Objectives: To evaluate and estimate the quality of UFPAP and c PAP stains in oral cytology smears of normal mucosa (NM), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Materials and Methods: 50 samples/smears were collected from outpatients from the Government Dental College and Hospital, Hyderabad. Samples include 10 cases of NM, 20 cases each of OPMDs (leukoplakia) and OSCC. Two cytological smears of representative areas were obtained and each smear is stained by the cPAP and UFPAP stains, respectively. Results and Observation: The quality index is obtained for the comparison of UFPAP and cPAP stains by using four parameters like - nuclear details, over all staining, background staining, and cell morphology. QI for all parameters of UFPAP staining was good compared to cPAP and percentage of UFPAP for NM, OPMDs and OSCC was 92.7%, 88.1%, 66.3% respectively. Conclusion: The study concludes that UFPAP staining is used for diagnosis in a regular oral cytology smears to offer immediate diagnosis of OPMDs and OSCCs.