Histology And Function Of The Dentogingival Junction In Oral Health

Histology And Function Of The Dentogingival Junction In Oral Health

Write the development, structure, and different stages of the dentogingival junction.
Answer:

Dentogingival junction:

• It is the junction between the gingiva and the tooth.
• It represents a site of potential weakness in the continuous lining of the oral cavity.

Structure:

• The epithelium of the gingiva that attaches to the tooth is called junctional epithelium.
• The union between it and the tooth is called epithelial attachment.
• The junctional epithelium resembles reduced enamel epithelium.
• They have a basal layer and a few layers of flattened cells.
• It is non-differentiating, nonkeratinizing tissue.
• It is highly permeable with large intercellular spaces.
• Lymphocytes and plasma cells are seen in the connective tissue at the bottom of the gingival sulcus and below the attachment epithelium.

Development:

• After the formation of the enamel matrix, ameloblasts leave a thin membrane on the enamel surface, called the primary enamel cuticle.
• Then, the ameloblasts shorten and the epithelial enamel organ is reduced to a few layers of flat cuboidal cells called reduced enamel epithelium.
• It covers the entire enamel surface up to CEJ at the same time remains attached to the primary enamel cuticle.
• During the eruption, the tip of the tooth approaches the oral mucosa.
• By it, the reduced enamel epithelium and the oral epithelium meet and fuse.
• The remnants of the primary enamel cuticle are referred to as Nasmyth’s membrane.
• The epithelium covering the tip of the crown degenerates in its center through which it emerges into ora! cavity.
• Now, the reduced enamel epithelium is known as the primary attachment epithelium.
• At the margin of the gingival, the attachment epithelium becomes continuous with the oral epithelium.
• The reduced enamel epithelium gradually shortens due to which a shallow groove called gingival sulcus develops between the gingiva and the tooth surface.
• When the reduced enamel epithelium gets separated from the erupted tooth, the gingival sulcus further deepens.

• During the first and second stages, a clinical crown is smaller than the anatomic crown.
• During the third stage, a clinical crown is equal to an anatomic crown.
• During the fourth stage, the clinical crown is larger than the anatomic crown.