Cell populations associated with active probing attachment loss

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of cell populations to differentiate between untreated progressing periodontitis sites (P) and untreated non-progressing sites (NP). Pairs of biopsies were obtained from untreated periodontal patients, one biopsy from a site which had lost probing attachment of 2 mm or more within the previous month, the other biopsy from a non-progressing site. Cell populations were identified on 1 micron sections in a defined connective tissue area at the junctional epithelium. The cell types counted were fibroblasts, mast cells, monocytes/macrophages, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), lymphoid cells, plasma cells, endothelial cells, total inflammatory cells, and the total number of cells. The number of fibroblasts, mast cells, monocytes/macrophages, and inflammatory cells, as well as their percentage of the total number of cells, differed significantly between P- and NP-sites. In addition, the actual total counts differed between groups. The difference between groups was more significant for percent fibroblasts than for any other cell type. It appears that cell populations, particularly fibroblast counts, can aid in the histological discrimination between P and NP periodontitis lesions.