The potential lifespan impact of gingivitis and periodontitis in children

The prevalence of gingivitis in children can be similar to or greater than dental caries, but has received much less attention in understanding the long-term impact on overall health. Oral health providers must take into consideration that the clinical presentation of the gingivitis progression/severity in the primary dentition is only evident when the magnitude of the inflammatory cell infiltrate approximates the gingival surface reflected by inflamed tissues. Moreover despite its relatively benign clinical appearance, the establishment of chronic inflammation of the periodontal tissues in childhood may have the potential for local tissue destruction leading to periodontitis, and/or create an "at-risk" environment in the tissues that could adversely affect the health of these tissues across the lifespan. The present manuscript presents some fundamental information regarding the characteristics of chronic inflammation in gingival tissues of children and adolescents and speculates about the lifetime impact of gingival and periodontal infections in childhood on future oral and systemic health in the adult.