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Mast cells in labial salivary glands obtained from patients with xerostomia with or without focal sialadenitis/Sjögren's syndrome were studied. There was no significant correlation between the intensity of local lymphocyte infiltration and the morphometrically analysed number of mast cells staining positive with toluidine blue. Histamine staining with heterologous 11C antiserum showed significantly fewer positive cells than staining with toluidine blue (mean (SD) 62 (10) v 138 (30)). This suggests heterogeneity of the mast cell population. Furthermore, there was a correlation between the focus score and the number of mast cells containing histamine. This suggests that the proliferation of mast cells containing histamine may be locally regulated by the immune inflammation, possibly through mediators from macrophages and fibroblasts. In contrast, the number of mast cells staining positive with toluidine blue could not be used as a marker of the degree of local inflammation. Although transmission electron microscopic analysis did not disclose signs of 'en masse' mast cell degranulation, mast cells may have a role in the local disease process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Thirty-seven samples of oral mucosa were analysed and divided histologically into groups of normal mucosa (6), hyperplastic lesions (6), dysplastic lesions (14), and squamous cell carcinoma (11). All lesions displayed some expression of c-erbB-2 but the distribution and intensity of expression varied strongly according to the differentiation. The lower the epithelial differentiation of the sample, the higher the expression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein showing very strong staining in carcinoma samples. This suggests that in oral carcinoma, transformation might be related to c-erbB-2 interaction.

The degree of mental disturbance in 56 patients with clinically and histologically verified oral lichen planus (OLP) and in 44 non-OLP patients was investigated by means of the Cornell Medical Index psychological questionnaire. A statistically significant difference in mental disturbance between OLP patients and non-OLP patients was found, the OLP patients being more disturbed (p less than 0.01). The mental health of the non-OLP patients was equal to that of the general Finnish population. Of the OLP patients, 48.2% were mentally healthy, 21.4% had a mild mental disturbance, 5.4% had a moderate mental disturbance, and 25.0% had a severe mental disorder. The corresponding figures for the non-OLP patients were 72.7%, 9.1%, 11.4%, and 6.8%. Of the 56 OLP patients, 21 were randomly selected and referred for a psychiatric consultation. Five patients refused the psychiatric interview. Of the sixteen patients who were examined, five had a moderate psychiatric disorder, seven had a mild psychiatric disorder, one had signs of neurosis, and three were mentally healthy. Most of the patients had the subjective feeling that the clinical appearance of OLP, including discomfort, became worse during times of mental stress. None of the patients, however, had a subjective feeling of mental disturbance; nor did any of them feel any need for psychiatric treatment, except in one case.