Anatomy of the Periodontium Flashcards
What is periodontium?
Specialized connective tissue that provides support needed to maintain teeth in function
What are the four main components of the periodontium?
gingiva
Cementum
Periodontal ligament
Alveolar bone
What are the three zones of the oral mucosa?
- The gingiva & covering of the hard palate (masticatory mucosa)
- Dorsum of the tongue (specialized mucosa)
- Oral mucous membrane lining remainder of oral cavity
What type of mucosa is on the dorsum of the tongue?
specialized mucosa
What type of mucosa is the gingiva and covering the hard palate?
masticatory mucosa
What is gingiva?
Masticatory mucosa that covers alveolar bone and tooth root coronal to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ)
What are the three sections of the gingivia?
Marginal gingiva
Attached gingiva
Interdental areas
__________ mucosa covers alveolar bone and tooth root coronal to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ)
Masticatory
What is another name for marginal gingiva?
unattached gingiva
What is the marginal gingiva?
Free, collar-like tissue surrounding the teeth on facial, lingual, and interproximal surfaces
What type of epithielium is the marginal gingiva?
nonkeratinized epiethelium
What is the most coronal portion of the gingiva called?
gingival margin
- scalloped outline of teeth
What are the characteristics of the gingival margin?
- about 1 mm wide
- forms the soft-tissue wall of the gingival sulcus
What is the gingival sulcus?
- the shallow, natural space aroudn a tooth bounded by the surface of the tooth on one side and epithelium lining the free margin of the gingiva on the other side
How should the gingival sulcus allow enterance for the periodontal probe?
- barely permits enterance
- sulcular measurements of 1-3 mm
What is the clinical significance of the gingival sulcus?
helps to identify the health status of the sulcus; an important factor when accessing restorability of a tooth
Boundaries of the gingival sulcus are the…
- sulcular epithelium
- tooth
Sulcular epithelium is the ___________ continuation of keratinized epithelium covering the marginal gingiva
nonkeratinized
What is the interdental gingiva (papilla) part of the gingiva?
- occupies the gingival embrasure space between 2 adjacent teeth (interproximal spaces)
What part of the gingiva includes the interdental gingiva?
free gingiva
What attaches the interdental gingiva to the tooth?
- JE (junctional epithelium)
- connective tissue fibers
If a _____ space exists between 2 teeth-papilla will be flat or saddle-shaped
wide
What is the gingival col?
valley-like depression of the interproximal contact areas
Is the gingival col keratinized or non keratinized?
non-keratinized
If interdental space is ______ the papilla will be pointed or pyramidal
narrow
What does the gingival col connect?
lingual and buccal interdental papilla
The gingival col is ______ when teeth are not in contact
absent
____________ epithelium is susceptible to inflamation and disease progression
nonkeratinized
- mostly the gingival col
What does the free gingival groove divide?
free gingiva from attached gingiva
The free gingival groove is found in _____% of patients
50%
What type of epithelium is covering the free gingival groove?
keratinized epithelium
What type of epithelium is attached gingiva?
keratinized epithelium
What is attached gingiva?
- firm, resilient, tightly bound to underlying periosteum of aleolar bone
- continious with marginal gingiva
The _____ aspect of the attached gingiva extends to the relatively loose and movable alveolar mucosa
facial
The attached gingiva and alveolar gingiva transition is demarcated by the…
mucogingival junction (MGJ)
The width of the attached gingiva varies from…
1-9 mm
Where is the attached gingiva the widest in the facial aspect?
maxillary central incisors
Where is the attached gingiva the narrowest in the facial aspect?
mandibular premolar facial areas
Attached gingiva is not typically measured on what oral surface?
palate
Any changes in the width of attached gingiva results from changes at the ______ end
coronal
(recession)
What is the equation for measuring the width of attached gingiva?
total width of gingiva (from MGJ to GM) - PD = width of attached gingiva
When attached gingiva is diminished it results in…
gingival recession
What is the mucogingival junction (MGJ)?
visible line where the pink keratinized gingiva meets the more vascular alveolar mucosa
Where is mucogingival junction (MGJ) found?
- maxillary facial
- mandibular facial and lingual
What is the alveolar mucosa?
movable tissue, loosely attached to underlying alveolar bone
What type of epithelium is the alveolar mucosa?
- thin, soft, nonkeratinized epithelium
What is separated from the attached gingiva at the MGJ?
alveolar mucosa
Why is the alveolar mucosa a darker shade of red than gingiva?
rich blood supply (vascularization)
The gingiva is made of what?
- stratified squamous epithelium (mostly cellular in nature)
- connective tissue (less cellular and mostly composed of collagen fibers and ground substance)
What are the functions of the gingival epithelium?
- physical barrier to infection
- protection of deep structures
- allows a selective interchange with oral environment
- participate actively in responding to infection in signaling host response
How can you differentiate epithelium covering the free gingiva?
- The oral (outer) epithelium
- The sulcular epithelium
- The junctional epithelium
What is the oral (outer) epithelium of the gingiva?
Covers the crest and outer surface of the marginal gingiva and the surface of attached gingiva
How thick is the oral (outer) epithelium?
0.2-0.3 mm
What are the four layers of the oral (outer) epithelium?
Basal layer
Prickle cell layer
Granular layer
Cornified layer
What type of epithelium is the oral (outer) epithelium?
Keratinized or parakeratinized, or combination of the two
What is the sulcular epithelium?
- Lines the gingival sulcus
- Extends from the coronal limit of the junctional epithelium to the crest of the gingiva margin
What type of epithelium is the sulcular epithelium?
Thin, nonkeratinized epithelium without rete pegs
Where does the sulcular epithelium extend?
Extends from the coronal limit of the junctional epithelium to the crest of the gingival margin
short
Why is sulcular epithelium important?
may act as a semipermeable membrane through which injurious bacterial products pass into the gingiva and seeps into the sulcus
Which is more permeable, sulcular epithelium or junctional epithelium?
junctional epithelium is more permeable
What is junctional epithelium?
Nonkeratinized epithelium surrounding and attaching to the tooth on one side, and the gingival connective tissue on the other side
What is the length of the junctional epithelium?
0.25-1.35 mm
What is another name for the base of the sulcus/pocket?
junctional epithelium
What is the function of the junctional epithelium?
Serves as route of passage of fluid and cells from the connective tissue into the sulcus for bacteria/bacterial products from sulcus to connective tissue
Can the junctional epithelium be penetrated by the periodontal probe?
yes, easily- especially when gingiva is inflamed
What epithelium is completely restored after pocket instrumentation or surgery, and it forms around implants?
junctional epithelium