Vascular morphology in noninflamed healed gingiva of dogs

The objective of this study was to determine if the regular vascular network previously reported as occurring in noninflamed marginal gingiva would become re-established following plaque control and treatment of gingiva by gingivectomy and scaling. Gingivectomies were performed on dogs with and without pre-experimental gingivitis in order to obtain gingival specimens healed for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Plaque was controlled using toothbrushing and topical applications of 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate. After 12 weeks, the animals were perfused via the carotid arteries with glutaraldehyde and Microfil latex compound. Specimens were processed for either routine histology or examination of vascular morphology in methyl salicylate cleared tissues. The absence of inflammation in healed gingiva was evaluated clinically, using the Gingival and Plaque Indices, and histologically. Results showed that in healed clinically and histologically noninflamed gingiva, the vascular morphology was established as a series of looped vessels which could readily be distinguished from the regular network of vessels described by Hock (1975) in marginal gingiva that had neither been inflamed nor resected.