Table 2.
Analysis of histological changes in the buccal mucosa.
| Nonchewers (n = 8) | Khat chewers (n = 34) | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonsmokers (n = 14) | Smokers (n = 20) | |||
| Samples with fibrosis (%) | 13 | 29 | 35 | — |
| Samples with intracellular edema (%) | 13 | 14 | 75 | — |
| Samples with keratinization (%) | 26 | 71 | 95 | — |
| Percentage of superficial layer keratinized | 0.7 ± 0.3 | 36.8 ± 8.8 | 33.6 ± 6.2 | p < 0.01 |
| Number of rete pegs/100 μm | 6.1 ± 0.4 | 9.5 ± 0.8 | 7.8 ± 0.5 | p < 0.01 |
| Abnormally shaped rete pegs (%) | 8.1 ± 2.8 | 9.8 ± 0.4 | 14.2 ± 2.4 | p > 0.05 |
| Rete peg depth as % of whole thickness | 38.3 ± 3.0 | 34.8 ± 3.7 | 42.6 ± 2.7 | p < 0.01 |
| Proportion of basal cell layer (%) | 8.9 ± 0.2 | 8.6 ± 0.5 | 11.4 ± 0.4 | p > 0.05 |
| Proportion of spinous cell layer (%) | 61.3 ± 4.4 | 64.6 ± 4.6 | 60.4 ± 5.5 | p > 0.05 |
| Proportion of superficial cell layer (%) | 27.9 ± 3.4 | 26.8 ± 6.3 | 28.2 ± 3.4 | p > 0.05 |