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Figure 3. Photomicrographs showing the different degrees of fibrosis in gingiva stained with Picro-Mallory in the three groups. (a) Control shows few collagen fibers in the subepithelial stroma (n = 8) (10X). (b) The nifedipine group is thickened, with a marked increase in collagen fibers in the subepithelial layer and deeper (n = 17) (20X). (c) The cyclosporin group (n = 7) is also thickened, but with a lesser increase in collagen fibers (20X). (d) Histogram showing differences among groups, with the nifedipine group having the highest increase in collagen (*p < 0.05). The data are expressed as the mean ± SD.
