Category: Basic Periodontology

Introduction to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) P. gingivalis is a Gram-negative, anaerobic, non-motile, asaccharolytic and black pigmented rod that form greenish-black colonies on blood agar plates 137. It is one of the major pathogens of chronic periodontitis 138, 139. This microorganism has been included in the red complex, which is strongly associated with periodontal destruction.…

Introduction to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans This bacterium was first isolated by Klinger 81 from a cervicofacial actinomycotic lesion in 1912 and was named Bacterium actinomycetemcomitans. Topley and Wilson (1929) 82 reclassified it as Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Potts et al. (1985) 83 as Haemophilus actinomycetemcomitans. In 2006 it was again reclassified based on multilocus sequence analysis by…

Introduction to microbial etiology of periodontal diseases The research on the microbiology of periodontal health and diseases has been the focus of intense investigation for several decades. Microbial biofilm in the gingival sulcus around teeth is the most important cause of periodontal diseases. It is a structured community of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced…

Introduction to periodontal disease progression There has been a lot of research to understand the exact nature of periodontal diseases. Various researchers have tried to understand the rate of diseases progression in various forms of periodontitis. In the past, several patterns of disease progression have been described 135-138. The patterns of tissue destruction in the…

Introduction to the host-microbial interactions in periodontal diseases The microbial biofilm that forms around the teeth is the main cause of periodontal disease initiation and progression. This biofilm is a complex community of microorganisms which produces various virulence factors that initiate the inflammatory response. The enzymes released by bacteria in the biofilm include proteases that…

Introduction to dental calculus Although, dental plaque is considered as the primary etiological factor in the development of periodontal diseases; the presence of dental calculus is also of great concern to the clinicians because it facilitates plaque formation by providing the surface for its formation and keeps it in close contact with the gingival tissue.…

Introduction to dental plaque Dental plaque is a complex community of micro-organisms that forms on the surfaces of teeth and restorations and has been implicated as the primary etiological factor in the development of periodontal diseases 1, 2. So far, more than 700 different bacterial species have been identified from the human oral cavity, and…

Introduction to the effects of aging on the periodontium Aging effects all the organ systems in the body and oral tissues are no exception to it. Due to widespread awareness regarding oral health, there has been an improvement in the oral health status of the general population worldwide. However, the process of aging is a…

Introduction to alveolar bone Alveolar bone is the specialized part of maxillary and mandibular bone that supports the teeth. It forms with the eruption of teeth and gradually disappears after the tooth is lost. The alveolar bone consists of an outer cortical plate which is composed of Haversian bone and compacted bone lamellae, a central…

Introduction to dental cementum Cementum is an avascular mineralized mesenchymal tissue covering the entire root surface. Although, it is an integral part of the tooth, but functionally it is a component of the periodontium. It was first described in 1835 329 and since then it has been studied extensively. It functions as the site of…