The periodontium Flashcards
what is the periodontium?
the structures that support or hold the teeth in their proper position in the alveolar process
- divided into 2 units
what are the 2 units of the periodontium?
1 - gingival unit
2 - attachment unit or apparatus
what are the 3 parts of the gingival unit?
consists of
1 - free gingiva/unattached gingiva
2 - attached gingiva
3 - alveolar mucosa
what are the 3 parts of the attachment apparatus for teeth in their sockets?
1 - alveolar bone
2 - PDL
3 - cementum
what is the free gingiva?
extends from the gingival margin to the base of the sulcus. light pink. 0.5-2.5 mm in depth
what common tissue makes up free and attached gingiva? what else is attached gingiva made up of?
both are composed of masticatory mucosa. attached gingiva has a thick epithelial and keratinized, underlying mucosa is composed of dense collagenous fibers that help the tissue withstand trauma. fibers are attached to bone and cementum
where is the attached gingiva?
extends from the base of the sulcus to the mucogingival junction
what is alveolar mucosa?
lining mucosa
- described as: thin and freely moveable; tears or injures easily; epithelium covering this lining mucosa is thin and nonkeratinized; composed of loose connective tissue and muscle fibers
where is alveolar mucosa?
continuous from the mucogingival junction to the lining of the cheeks and lips and floor of the mouth (lining mucosa)
what is the sulcus?
the space between the free gingiva and the tooth, 0.5 mm - 3 mm in depth
what is gingival papilla/interdental papilla?
the free gingiva located in the triangular shaped interdental spaces between the teeth
- the tissue’s apex is sharp on anterior teeth and more blunt on posterior teeth
what affects the shape of the papilla?
- the location of the contact area of the adjacent teeth
- the shape of the interproximal surfaces of adjacent teeth
- the CEJ of adjacent teeth
how can we tell when there is inflammation in the papilla?
easily recognized because papilla takes on:
- a reddened colour
- the tissue becomes puffy
- the apex becomes blunt
- if gingiva appears pink but it is clearly bulbous we write red to identify inflammation
what is the epithelium like in the gingival sulcus?
- nonkeratinized, where the more outer portion is keratinized
what does the gingival groove identify?
- the base of the sulcus if it is visible
how does attached gingiva appear?
often has stippled surface that resembles an orange peel (rete peg formation causes stippling)
what type of epithelium makes up the attached gingiva?
- (keratinized) stratified squamous cell epithelium
what causes the stippling in the attached gingiva?
the rete peg formation, which is created by the irregular binding of the epithelium to bone by collagen fibers giving the look of stippling
what colour is gingiva?
- varies from light to dark depending on the individual’s pigmentation. the darker a person’s skin is, the more apt the tissue will be dark due to melanin.
- healthy gingiva will be pink, more red = likely inflammation. regardless of pigmentation, we still write pink, never brown