Effectiveness of Rapid, Economic, Acetic Acid, Papanicolaou Stain (REAP) Over Conventional Papanicolaou Stain in Oral Exfoliative Cytology

The study of cells that exfoliate from body surfaces is known as exfoliative cytology.These exfoliated cells, as well as cells scraped off with certain instruments, can be quantitatively or qualitatively analyzed.Papanicolaou (PAP) staining is the routinely used diagnostic test in case of suspicious oral smears.The Rapid, Economic Acetic acid Papanicolaou (REAP) staining technique was found to be superior to the conventional PAP stain in cervical cytology.Aim: To assess the effectiveness of REAP technique as a better chairside diagnostic procedure than the conventional PAP technique in oral exfoliative cytology. Materials and Methods:A total of 100 smears were collected from 50 patients clinically diagnosed with potentially malignant disorders indicated for oral exfoliative cytology.Both sets of smears were stained, one using the conventional PAP method and the other using the REAP method.The two sets of smears were observed by two trained pathologists and evaluated for staining quality.The time for staining was also assessed.Over a 15-month observation period, the color stability of the smears stained by PAP and REAP were compared. Statistical Analysis:Chi-square test was used to assess the significance of the difference between proportions of optimal staining between the two methods.Quantitative parameters between techniques were compared using the independent sample t-test.Results: The staining quality of REAP smears was better than conventional PAP and was statistically significant (p < 0.001).The staining time of REAP is completed in 7 minutes whereas the PAP technique took 30 minutes.Both REAP and PAP smears retained their colour stability for 15 months. Conclusion: REAP technique is a better chair-side diagnostic procedure than the conventional PAP technique in oral exfoliativecytology as it produces better staining quality and involves minimal time.The colour preservation of REAP stained smears is also excellent.