Immunohistochemical assessment of Viadent-associated leukoplakia.

Studies show an association between sanguinarine, the active ingredient in Viadent oral health care products, and oral premalignant lesions. The study was undertaken to quantitatively compare the staining profiles of sanguinarine-associated leukoplakia to normal and dysplastic specimens. Archived oral mucosal specimens were stained for tumor markers p16, p53, cyclin D1, Ki-67, and Bcl-x and analyzed through Simple PCI image analysis software. Quantitative analyses showed trends towards intermediate staining in Viadent-related specimens (Ki-67: normal: 18.12+/-2.15, Viadent: 16.12+/-2.16, dysplasia: 14.53+/-2.04, p>0.05; cyclin D1: normal: 15.65+/-3.68, Viadent: 12.52+/-3.57, dysplasia: 1.94+/-3.93, p<0.05; p16: normal: 55.04+/-4.16, Viadent: 49.74+/-4.16, dysplasia: 45.03+/-4.45; p>0.05; p53:normal: 2.65+/-1.37, Viadent: 4.64+/-1.52, dysplasia: 8.71+/-1.37; p<0.05 Kruskal Wallace, Tukey/Kramer). Our Viadent profiles, intermediate between normal and dysplasia, support a preneoplastic nature of this process.