The effect of age on the development of gingivitis. Clinical, microbiological and histological findings

In the present "experimental gingivitis" study, the response of the marginal gingiva to plaque formation was studied in one group of young subjects, 20-25 years of age, and in one group of older subjects, aged 65-80 years. During a 4-week period, all subjects received a series of professional tooth cleaning to establish healthy gingival conditions. A baseline examination (Day 0) included assessments of plaque and gingivitis. Sites that were examined (the experimental sites) included the mesio-palatal, palatal, and disto-palatal surfaces of all teeth present in the 15 ... 25 tooth region. Among the experimental sites, microbial sampling and gingival fluid assessment were performed and one gingival biopsy harvested from each subject. Following the baseline examination, the participants abolished mechanical tooth cleaning measures in the palatal and approximal surfaces of 15 ... 25. The clinical examination and the gingival fluid measurement were repeated on days 7, 14 and 21 of no oral hygiene. The microbiological sampling and the biopsy procedure were repeated on days 7 and 21. The data collected demonstrated that old subjects, during a 3-week period of oral hygiene abstention, formed similar amounts of plaque as the young subjects, but developed more gingivitis than young subjects. Thus, the clinical gingivitis assessments, the gingival fluid measurements and morphometric determinations made in the biopsy samples documented that the gingival lesion which formed in the old individuals was more pronounced and contained more inflammatory cells than the corresponding lesion in the young subject sample.