Gingiva

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Gingiva

Cross-section of a tooth with visible gums, or gingiva
Gray's	subject #242 1112
MeSH	Gingiva
Dorlands/Elsevier	g_05/12390396

The gingiva (sing. and plur.: gingiva), or gums, consists of the mucosal tissue that lays over the jawbone.

1 Soft Tissues
2 Subdivisions of Gingiva
3 Diseases of the Gingiva
4 Characteristics of Healthy Gingiva
5 Additional images
6 See also
7 Sources
8 External links

[edit] Soft Tissues

The gingiva are naturally transparent; they are rendered red in color because of the blood flowing through them. The gingiva are connected to the teeth and bone by way of the periodontal fibers (also known as PDL fibers). The gingiva are one of the four components of the periodontium or PDL, the other three being the cementum (outermost layer of cells of the roots of teeth), the bone and the PDL fibers.

[edit] Subdivisions of Gingiva

The gingiva is divided anatomically into marginal, attached and interdental areas.

[edit] Marginal Gingiva

The marginal gingiva is the terminal edge of gingiva surrounding the teeth in collar like fashion. In about 50% of cases, it is demarcated from the adjacent, attached gingiva by a shallow linear depression, the free gingival groove. Usually about 1 mm wide, it forms the soft tissue wall of the gingival sulcus. It may be separated from the tooth surface with a periodontal probe

[edit] Attached Gingiva

The attached gingiva is continuous with the marginal gingiva. It is firm, resilient, and tightly bound to the underlying periosteum of alveolar bone. The facial aspect of the attached gingiva extends to the relatively loose and movable alveolar mucosa, from which it is demarcated by the mucogingival junction

[edit] Interdental Gingiva

The interdental gingiva occupies the gingival embrasure, which is the interproximal space beneath the area of tooth contact. The interdental gingiva can be pyramidal or have a "col" shape.

[edit] Diseases of the Gingiva

The gingival cavity microecosystem, fueled by food residues and saliva, can support the growth of many microorganisms, of which some can be injurious to health. Improper or insufficient oral hygiene can thus lead to many gingival and periodontal disorders, including gingivitis or pyorrhea, which are major causes for tooth failure. Recent studies have also shown that Anabolic steroids are also closely associated with gingival enlargement requiring a gingivectomy for many cases.[1]

[edit] Characteristics of Healthy Gingiva

[edit] Color

Healthy gingiva usually has a color that has been described as "coral pink." Other colors like red, white, and blue can signify inflammation (gingivitis) or pathology. Although the text book color of gingiva is "coral pink", normal racial pigmentation makes the gingiva appear darker. Because the color of gingiva varies due to racial pigmentation, uniformity of color is more important than the underlying color itself.

[edit] Contour

Healthy gingiva has a smooth arcuate or scalloped appearance around each tooth. Healthy gingiva fills and fits each interdental space, unlike the swollen gingiva papilla seen in gingivitis or the empty interdental embrasure seen in periodontal disease. Healthy gums hold tight to each tooth in that the gingival surface narrows to a "knife-edge" thins at the free gingival margin. On the other hand, inflamed gums have a "puffy" or "rolled" margin.

[edit] Texture

Healthy gingiva has a firm texture that is resistant to movement. This texture has often been described as very similar to the skin of an orange. Unhealthy gingiva, on the other hand, is swollen and mushy and has often been described as similar to a sponge in texture.

[edit] Reaction to Disturbance

Healthy gums usually have no reaction to normal disturbance such as brushing or periodontal probing. Unhealthy gums on the other hand will show bleeding on probing (BOP) and/or purulent exudate (pus).