Periodontal Structures In Aging Humans Question And Answers

Periodontal Structures In Aging Humans

Question 1. Write short note on age changes in periodontium.
Or
Write short note on effects of aging of periodontium.
Answer. The anchorage, support and protection of teeth is provided by various tissues known as periodontium. The various tissues are gingiva, PDL, cementum and alveolar bone.

Age Changes in Gingival Epithelium

• Gingival recession and increase in attached gingiva.
• Flattening of rete pegs and altered cell density.
• Reduced or unchanged amount of stippling, decreased oxygen consumption, thinning and decreased keratinization of gingival epithelium.
• Thinning and atrophy of epithelium.

Age Changes in Gingival Connective Tissue

• Increasing age results in coarser and more dense gingival connective tissue.
• Increased rate of conversion of soluble to insoluble collagen.
• Increased mechanical strength and increased denaturing temperature.
• These show increased collagen stabilization caused by changes in macromolecular conformation.
• Greater collagen content has been found in older animals despite a lower rate of collagen synthesis decreasing with age.

Read And Learn More: Periodontics Question And Answers

Effects of Aging on PDL

• Decrease in vascularity.
• Decrease in mitotic activity.
• Decrease in number of fibroblasts.
• Collagen fibers and mucopolysaccharides are decreased.
• Increase in elastic fibers and arteriosclerotic changes are seen.
• Both increase and decrease in the width of the periodontal ligament is seen. The periodontal ligament width is increased as a result of less number of teeth supporting the entire functional load and decrease in its width is associated with reduced strength of the masticatory musculature and continuous deposition of cementum and bone.

Effects of Aging on Cementum

• Cemental width is increased 5-10 times with increasing age as deposition continues after tooth eruption.
• Accumulation of resorption bays explains the findings of increasing surface irregularity.
• Decreased permeability.
• Increased mineral content.

Effects of Aging on Alveolar Bone

• Irregular periodontal surface of bone and less regular insertion of collagen fibers.
• Although age is a risk factor for bone-mass reductions in osteoporosis, it is not causative and so should be distinguished from the physiologic-aging process.
• Healing rate of bone in extraction sockets appears to be unaffected with increasing age, although resorption activity is increased and rate of bone from action is decreased.
• Vascularity is decreased.
• Bone graft preparations from donors more than 50 years old possess significantly less osteogenic potential than graft material from younger donors.