The periodontium is composed of the supporting structures of teeth, namely
(I) Gingiva
(II) Periodontal ligament
(III) Cementum
(IV) Alveolar bone
Fig. 1: Diagrammatic view
of the periodontal structures adjacent to the cervical region of a mandibular tooth. Note
the various anatomic landmarks. These will be discussed in greater detail in the sections
to follow.
AB, alveolar bone; AC, alveolar crest; AM, alveolar mucosa, CB, compact bone; CEJ, cemento-enamel junction; CT, connective
tissue; DEJ, dentoepithelial junction
(syn. epithelial attachment); ES, enamel space;
G, gingiva; GE, gingival epithelium; GG, gingival groove; GM, gingival margin; GS, gingival sulcus; JE, junctional epithelium; MGJ, mucogingival junction; MS, marrow space;
OE, oral epithelium; PDL, periodontal ligament; RC, radicular (root) cementum; SE, sulcular epithelium
Fig. 2: Histologic section of a maxillary central incisor. Note
that the enamel is missing as a result of demineralization during histologic processing.
The cementum layer (CE) is connected to the adjacent alveolar
bone (AB) by a thin periodontal ligament (PDL).
The gingiva covers the bone and attaches to the cervical
region of the tooth. The incisive canal (C) and
incisive foramen (F) can be seen distinctly
on the palatal aspect of the tooth. G, palatal gingiva.
