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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Exp Med. Sep 20, 2025; 15(3): 108025
Published online Sep 20, 2025. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i3.108025
Published online Sep 20, 2025. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i3.108025
Genotoxic damage assessment using the micronucleus assay in buccal mucosa of different types of smokers: A cross-sectional study
Efraín Álvarez-Martínez, Iván E Porto-Puerta, Maxillofacial Surgery, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Antioquia, Colombia
Carlos M Ardila, Department of Basic Sciences, Biomedical Stomatology Research Group, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Antioquia, Colombia
Author contributions: Álvarez-Martínez E performed the conceptualization, data curation, data analysis, manuscript writing, and revision of the manuscript; Porto-Puerta IE performed the conceptualization, data curation, data analysis, manuscript writing, and revision of the manuscript; Ardila CM performed the conceptualization, data curation, data analysis, manuscript writing, and revision of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Antioquia, ensuring compliance with all applicable ethical guidelines and standards.
Informed consent statement: All participants signed an informed consent form detailing the study's objectives, procedures, potential risks and benefits, and guarantees of data anonymity and confidentiality. This ensured that participants were fully informed and voluntarily participated.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Carlos M Ardila, Postdoctoral Fellow, Professor, Senior Researcher, Department of Basic Sciences, Biomedical Stomatology Research Group, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellin 050010, Antioquia, Colombia.
Received: April 3, 2025
Revised: May 16, 2025
Accepted: July 16, 2025
Published online: September 20, 2025
Processing time: 131 Days and 17.9 Hours
Revised: May 16, 2025
Accepted: July 16, 2025
Published online: September 20, 2025
Processing time: 131 Days and 17.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study reveals significant genotoxic damage in buccal mucosa cells among conventional, reverse, and electronic cigarette smokers, but not cannabis users, using the micronucleus assay. A strong correlation was found between smoking-related oral lesions and micronucleus frequency, independent of alcohol use. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted public health strategies to reduce smoking-induced DNA damage and prevent oral carcinogenesis. The results provide critical evidence for policymakers and future research on tobacco-related harm.