RT Book, Section
A1 Karimbux, Nadeem Y.
A1 Kim, David M.
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 7034965
T1 Chapter 377. Periodontal and Gingival Health and Diseases
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7034965
RD 2024/04/20
AB The  normal  periodontium  consists  of  gingiva,  connective  tissue,  the  periodontal  ligament,  cementum,  and  the  surrounding  alveolar  bone.  Clinicians  commonly  describe  the  healthy  gingiva  as  being  scalloped,  coral  pink  in  color,  firm,  and  knife-edged.  The  lack  of  bleeding  on  probing  and  the  lack  of  exudates  are  also  taken  as  clinical  signs  of  health.  In  children,  similar  characteristics  are  observed  and  recorded  (although  there  are  more  spaces  between  primary  teeth  resulting  in  a  “flatter,”  less  scalloped  appearance).  There  are  several  different  forms  of  gingival  and  periodontal  diseases  that  can  be  present  in  children  and  adolescents  that  can  change  the  appearance  (erythematous),  contour  (swollen),  size  (hyperplastic  or  overgrown),  and  shape  (blunted  papillae)  of  the  gingiva.  They  range  from  reversible  conditions  limited  to  the  inflammation  of  gingival  tissues  (gingivitis)  to  those  characterized  by  the  destruction  of  the  periodontal  connective  tissue  attachment  and  alveolar  bone  (periodontitis).1  If  the  conditions  are  left  untreated,  the  deciduous  or  permanent  dentitions  can  be  jeopardized.  Fundamental  principles  concerning  the  etiology  of  these  diseases  and  the  contributing  factors  need  to  be  understood  in  order  to  identify  and  manage  periodontal  disease  complications.1