Evaluation of micronuclei in buccal smears of mobile phone users: A comparative study

Background: The mobile uses have been increased drastically, creating increased health concern about radiation effects emitted from mobile phone. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the micronuclei (MN) frequency in exfoliated oral mucosal cells in high and low mobile users. Materials and Methods: The total of 50 subjects was divided into two major groups: low mobile phone users and high mobile phone users. Further, subjects who use mobile phone for more than 10 h a week were considered high talk time users and <4-5 h a week was low talk time users. The buccal mucosa cells are extracted by scraping the oral cavity with a wooden spatula. MN was evaluated in 1000 cells per individual at the microscope. Results: There was a significantly increase in MN count in high mobile users compared to low mobile users. There was a highly significant difference in the mean MN count of participants using code division multiple access than global system for mobiles mobile phones. The MN mean count was found to be significantly increased in nonheadphone users in comparison to headphone users. Furthermore, the MN count on the frequently used side of mobile phone was found to be statistically significantly elevated compared to the opposite side. Conclusions: Mobile phone radiation, even in the permissible range when used for a longer duration, can cause significant genotoxicity. The genotoxicity is noted when the mobile phone is used more frequently on the same side, which may be due to more amount of radiation and increase in the temperature. Headphone usage reduces the genotoxicity of mobile phone radiation to some extent.