IMPREGNATION OF ORAL MUCOSA OVER IMPACTED TEETH BY SUBPOPULATIONS OF MACROPHAGES M1 AND M2

Area of Science:

• Oral biology
• Immunology
• Dental research

Background:

• Understanding the immune microenvironment of impacted teeth is crucial for diagnosing and treating associated complications.
• Macrophages play a key role in local tissue responses and inflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively analyze the populations of M1 (CD68+) and M2 (CD163+) macrophages in the oral mucosa overlying vestibularly and palatally impacted teeth.
• To compare these macrophage populations with those in a control group.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemical analysis of mucosal biopsies from 21 patients (aged 10-16) with impacted teeth.
• Patients were divided into control and experimental groups, with further subgroups for vestibular and palatal impactions.
• Quantitative assessment of CD68+ and CD163+ cell infiltration densities.

Main Results:

• In the lamina propria over vestibularly impacted teeth, a decrease in the M1/M2 ratio (0.91±0.11) was observed, indicating a predominance of M2 macrophages (CD163+).
• Over palatally impacted teeth, the M1/M2 ratio significantly increased (2.10 ± 0.32), driven by a higher density of M1 macrophages (CD68+).
• Epithelial macrophage counts showed no significant difference compared to controls for both types of impaction.

Conclusions:

• The immune response in the lamina propria differs between vestibular and palatal impacted teeth, characterized by distinct M1/M2 macrophage profiles.
• Vestibular impactions are associated with an M2 macrophage-dominant environment, while palatal impactions show an M1 macrophage-dominant environment.
• These findings highlight the specific inflammatory pathways involved in different types of tooth impaction.