Cell dynamics of experimental gingivitis in macaques

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Abstract
The rate of cell devision in inflammatory Infiltrates from tissues showing gingivitis of varying severity and chronicity was studied by injecting tritiated thymidine directly into the gingvae prior to biopsy. Both the density and the proportion of labelled cells increased from initial low levels in clinically healthy tissue to a maximum 6–12 weeks after withdrawal of oral hygiene procedures, falling to intermediate levels in animals with established disease. These changes in total labelling indices appeared to be paralled by changes in the labelling of fibroblasts and: macrophages; the numbers of labelled lymphocytes, immunoblasts and endothelial cells rose more slowly reaching their maximum levels only in animals with established disease. These results support the concept of a macrophage response playing a large role in host defence during the initial stages of the disease process and being replaced by other, mainly humoral, defence mechanisms in the later stages of gingivitis.