aetiology and pathogenesis Flashcards
diagram of clinical health gingivitis and periodontitis
just a reminder this is important to know well but there’s too much to make Qs from lol but look it up xoxox
what is plaque’s relationship to periodontal disease
plaque is necessary but not sufficient for periodontal disease
what helps plaque to build and progress to clinical disease / gingivitis
local plaque retention factors
- calculus
- restoration margins
- crowding
- mouth breathing
systemic modifying factors
- sex hormones
- medication
what is the clinical definition of gingival health
> knife edge, scalloped gingival margin
- very well defined gingival margin
> stippling
- only seen in about 30% of patients
- just seen at the papilla of some of the sites
> pink
- healthy colour
what can modify the gingival that isn’t gingivitis
- racial pigmentation
- smoking
- other factors / habits
why does it only take a few lips for a bited lip to heal
the epithelial barrier has a fairly quick turnover
only takes a few days for the cells at the basal layer to disappear into the oral cavity
describe how the gingival sulcus fights infection in health
- originally there is an intact barrier provided by the junctional epithelium
- bacteria invade and cause shedding of the oral epithelial cells
- gingival crevice fluid (GCF) flows into where the bacteria are
- there are antibodies present in the in GCF to fight the infection
- phagocyte function and lymphocyte infiltrate
(there is a cellular immune response even in health although it is relatively small ad controlled) - complement activity is also present
what happens in the gingival sulcus in gingivitis
- altered microbial colonisation
(increased accumulation in plaque) - gingival margins are red and inflamed, lose stippling
- increased flow of GCF
- influx of neutrophils, increased lymphocytes and monocytes
- plasma cells infiltrate
- proliferation and ulceration of the epithelium
- bleeding upon probing (bleeds easily)
explain what is different between a healthy immune response and the immune response in early gingivitis
monocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils are present in both
in gingivitis there is
- increased neutrophil emigration
- proliferation of the junctional epithelium
- increased infiltrate of the cells
- dilated vessels
- vascular proliferation
- increased collagen loss
- very few plasma cells
what is the difference between early gingivitis and established gingivitis
established gingivitis has a greatly increased leukocytic infiltration with plasma cells
whereas there are very few plasma cells in early gingivitis
how is gingivitis reversible
cleaning the teeth and maintaining good oral hygiene and the gingiva will return to the clinical definition of health (provided other factors are under control as well)
what is a defining feature of periodontitis
irreversible loss of attachments (loss of bone)
how can you tell the difference between periodontitis and gingivitis
use a probe
cannot tell the difference without
what is a false pocket
increased pocket depth but no loss of attachments
ie there is a pocket present in the gingival sulcus but the bone remains intact
junctional epithelium has not changed position but has become ulcerated
inflammation causes the pocket
what is a true pocket
apical migration of junctional epithelium
if the cause of the inflammation is not removed then there is a reasonable chance that the patient will progress from a false pocket to a true pocket
what is in the process of periodonitis happening
- plaque formation
- immune cells move in
- gingivitis
- increase in pocket depth
does gingivitis always progress to periodontitis
not always
but it can
and in many patients it will
what is the progression of the attachment loss generally like
generally very slow
between 0.05-0.1ml per year
this is highly variable
in some patients however the rate of attachment can be up to 2mm loss per year which will cause serious trouble = tooth loss
what is the biofilm
- one or more communities of microorganisms
- embedded in a glycocalyx
- attached to a solid surface
what are the properties of the biofilm
- provide protection for colonising species from competing organisms and environment (host defences, antibiotics)
- facilitate uptake of nutrients and removal of metabolic products
- development of appropriate physiochemical environment eg pH, oxygen concentration
- communication between bacteria
does a water pip useful as an interdental cleaning device
no
it squirts a little jet of water interdentally which will wash the biofilm but not actually remove it
explain bacterial virulence / how bacteria is tailored to cause periodontal disease
- degrade host immunoglobulin and complement
- leukotoxin production (specifically kill certain cells)
- tissue invasion
- inhibition of antibody synthesis (or can change the synthesis so they are less effective)
what is Koch’s postulates
a set of criteria that an organism has to fulfil to cause a disease