Abstract
In this study, to evaluate the state of the gingiva in immatured permanent teeth in terms of microcirculation in the peripheral blood vessels, we measured blood flow in the gingiva using a laser flowmeter. The subjects were 147 children aged 6-14. They were classified into 3 age groups: Group I aged 6-7, II aged 8-9, and III aged 10-14. The evaluated teeth were the central incisor and first molar on the right side of the maxilla and those on the left side of the mandible. The measurement sites were the mesial, middle, and distal areas of the gingiva on the labial (buccal) side of each tooth. The state of the gingiva was macroscopically evaluated using the gingival index (GI) by Lbe and Silness.
The blood flow according to the GI was subsequently obtained in both males and females as a group. The following results were obtained: 1) No definite association was observed between blood flow and gingivitis.2) The blood flow was significantly higher at the distal region of the gingiva than in the mesial region of the maxillary central incisor and first molar, irrespective of the age groups or GI.3) The gingival blood flow in the first molar was about 2 times higher than that in the central incisor at each site of measurement.4) In the mesial region of the gingiva of both the central incisor and first molar, the blood flow was higher in the mandible than in the maxilla.5) The blood flow in the middle and distal areas of the maxillary and mandibular first molars was lower in Group III, and that in the distal region of gingiva of the mandibular central incisor was lower in Group I, more than in the other age groups. These results suggest that wound healing and tissue regeneration appear to be active at the distal area of the molars in younger children.
