The Influence of Injury to the Periodontal Membrane on the Spread of Gingival Inflammation

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Abstract
The spread of local gingivitis into the periodontal membrane damaged during tooth movement was studied in serial histologic sections of the molar teeth and supporting tissues of 35 male young adult albino rats. Tooth movement was effected by insertion of a piece of rubber dam between the upper right 1st and 2d molars. The rubber dam acted also as a foreign body and caused papillary gingivitis. Tooth movement resulted in injury to the periodontal membrane on both pressure and tension sides. This consisted, on the pressure side, of hyalinization, and on the tension side, of an unraveling of the "spliced" single fibers of the alveolo-dental ligament (periodontal fiber bundle). Damage to the periodontal membrane on the tension side diminished the resistance of normal periodontal membrane and permitted an infiltration from a coexistent gingival inflammation, thus leading to periodontitis. The exptl. results warrant the statement that traumatism of the periodontal membrane will not, by itself, cause periodontitis but will merely facilitate and direct the spread of an already present gingival inflammation into the adjacent supporting tissues injured by tension.

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