Comparative Evaluation of Kumkum Versus Eosin as a Counterstain in Histopathological Sections of Oral Lesions

Key Points

• To compare the staining efficacy and diagnostic utility of Kumkum and eosin in histopathological sections of oral lesions.
• Used 50 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from oral lesions.
• Sections stained with hematoxylin followed by either eosin or Kumkum extract.
• Evaluated by three pathologists for contrast, stability, staining intensity, and agreement using kappa statistics.
• Kumkum had comparable nuclear-cytoplasmic contrast with eosin (mean score 3.8 vs. 3.9; p=0.42).
• Color stability was similar (<5% fading at 48 hours), indicating reliability.
• High interobserver agreement (kappa=0.87 for Kumkum vs. 0.89 for eosin).
• Kumkum was noted to be cost-effective and non-toxic.

Abstract