Micronuclei and Nuclear Abnormalities in Oral Mucosa as Indicators of Genotoxicity in Healthcare Professionals

The buccal micronucleus cytome assay (BMCyt) is a validated, non-invasive biomonitoring method used to detect early genotoxic and cytotoxic changes linked to environmental and occupational exposures. Healthcare workers, especially nurses and dentists, are routinely exposed to genotoxic agents such as anesthetic gases, cytotoxic drugs, ionizing radiation, and heavy metals. This study compared seven cytological biomarkers in exfoliated buccal cells from female nurses, dentists, and teachers to assess multivariate cytogenetic differences and potential occupational influences. Samples were collected from 32 nurses, 41 dentists, and 47 teachers, and 3000 cells per participant were evaluated for micronuclei (MN) and six additional nuclear abnormalities. Group differences were examined using MANOVA and permutation MANOVA, followed by pairwise tests, and visualized with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Significant multivariate differences were found between nurses and both dentists and teachers (p = 0.003), supported by permutation tests, while dentists and teachers did not differ. PCA explained 56% of the variance and showed apparent clustering of nurses. Chromatin condensation and MN were the main contributors to group separation. Nurses had significantly higher MN (p ≤ 0.001) and karyorrhexis (p ≤ 0.0004) than dentist and teachers. Overall, nurses showed a distinct cytogenetic profile consistent with greater genotoxic susceptibility.