[Inflammatory cells and periodontal disease]

A study was made of 71 patients treated by means of surgery in the Department of Periodontology of the Provincial Stomatological Clinic of Santiago de Cuba during the September-November 1983 quarter. Gum samples were taken and preserved in 10% formalin. Forty-eight hours later they were processed in the Department of Pathological Anatomy of the Saturnino Lora Clinica-surgical Hospital, in order to observe the intensity of inflammation and the number of cells, classified as scarce, moderate and severe. Also, the epithelial changes were analyzed. The results achieved reveal that lymphocytes and plasmocytes were observed in a larger percent, whereas acanthosis was the most frequent change in the epithelium.