Evaluation of epithelial toto bodies and their relationship with connective tissue inflammation in reactive lesions of the oral cavity: A preliminary study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Toto bodies are homogeneous eosinophilic bodies, round to oval in shape with a peripheral clear appearance, also known as “Mucopolysaccharide keratin dystrophy” due to its contents, often seen on the topmost layers of stratified squamous epithelium of reactive and inflammatory oral lesions. The present study aimed to correlate the presence of epithelial Toto bodies with inflammatory components of the connective tissue in oral reactive lesions to elucidate the association between them. Material and Methods: This preliminary study included 12 archival reactive lesional slides (seven pyogenic granuloma [PG] and five inflammatory hyperplasia) with toto bodies and the correlation with inflammatory component of the connective tissue with regard to such as intensity, type of inflammatory cells was evaluated. RESULTS: Toto bodies were found in PG (58%), followed by inflammatory hyperplasia (42%). Almost 75% of cases exhibited diffuse distribution of chronic inflammatory cells, predominantly plasma cells (58%), followed by lymphocytes (42%) in the underlying connective tissue, followed by focal inflammatory cells that accounted for only 25% of cases. A positive correlation of toto bodies with connective tissue inflammation was noted. CONCLUSION: There was a positive correlation seen between the existence of epithelial toto bodies with the underlying connective tissue inflammation. The existence of toto bodies may aid as a diagnostic clue for the lesion being reactive/inflammatory in origin

Keywords

• inflammation
• inflammatory hyperplasia
• pyogenic granuloma
• toto bodies