AGING AND THE
PERIODONTIUM
DR ZAINAB
DEMONSTRATOR IN PERIODONTOLOGY
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• Discuss the effects of aging on periodontium.
• Discuss aging in periodontium in response to
treatment and periodontal disease.
PERIODONTIUM
• The periodontium is the specialized tissues that both
surround and support the teeth
• It consist of 4 principle component;
• Gingiva
• Periodontal ligament
• Cementum
• Alveolar bone
EFFECTS OF AGING ON THE PERIODONTIUM
GINGIVAL EPITHELIUM:
• Thinning and decreased keratinization.
• Flattening of rete pegs.
• Altered cell density.
• Gingival recession.
• Width of attached gingiva would be expected to
decreased with age.
GINGIVAL CONNECTIVE TISSUE:
• Denser connective tissues.
• Increase conversion of soluble to insoluble
collagen.
• Increase mechanical strength.
PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT:
• Decreased fibroblast.
• Decreased organic matrix
production.
• Increase number of
Elastic fiber.
CEMENTUM:
• Increase cemental width.
(width is greater apically and lingually)
• Increase surface
irregularity.
BACTERIAL PLAQUE:
• Increase plaque accumulation.
• Increase role of [Link],enteric rods and
decrease role of [Link].
ALVEOLAR BONE:
• More irregular surface of bone.
• Less regular insertion of collagen fibers.
• Healing of extracted socket appears to be
unaffected by aging.
IMMUNE AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES:
• No evidence for age related changes in host
defenses correlating with periodontitis.
• C-reactive protein may not be reliable marker in
older patient.
• Modulator of the immune and inflammatory
responses is nutrition.
EFFECTS OF AGING ON THE PROGRESSION OF
PERIODONTAL DISEASES
• Age is inevitably associated with an increased loss
of connective tissue [Link] observation
well reflect a cumulative exposure to a number
of potentially destructive process.
• Effect of age is either nonexistent or provides a
small and clinically insignificant increased risk of
loss of periodontal support.
AGING AND THE RESPONSE TO TREATMENT OF THE
PERIODONTIUM
• Successful treatment requires both home care
plaque control and supragingival and subgingival
debridement by the therapist.
• Without effective periodontal therapy,progression
of disease might be faster with increasing age.
BCQ’s
• 1) Increase in age,keratinization of gingiva;
• A) increases
• B) decreases
• C) increase and then decreases
• D) remains the same
• 2) which of the following statement true about age
changes in peridontium
• A) decrease no. of fibroblast
• B) increase no. of elastic fibres
• C) decrease keratinization of the epithelium
• D) all of the above
• 3) Increase in thickness of cementum with aging is greater?
• A) coronally
• B) labially
• C) apically
• D) at midroot level
• 4) which of the following organism’s role is decreases
with age
• A) [Link]
• B) Actinobacillus actinomycetem comitans
• C) enteric rods
• D) both A and B
• 5) In old age the gingival connective tissue becomes
• A) dense
• B) aqueous
• C) thin
• D) necrotic
KEY
• 1) B
• 2) D
• 3) C
• 4) B
• 5) A