Definition and Appearance of Stippling
- Stippling refers to the textured surface of the gingiva.
- It is characterised by microscopic elevations and depressions on the gingival tissue.
- Stippling is found on the attached gingiva, not on the freely moveable alveolar mucosa or free gingiva.
- Smooth gingiva does not necessarily indicate disease, unless stippling has been lost.
- The degree of keratinization and prominence of stippling are related.
Causes and Factors Related to Stippling
- Stippling is a consequence of connective tissue projections within the gingival tissue.
- It occurs at sites where epithelial ridges and connective tissue papillae fuse.
- The fusion of valleys created by connective tissue papillae leads to stippling.
- The prominence of stippling is related to the degree of keratinization.
- Stippling is not an indication of disease but rather a natural feature of healthy gingiva.
Clinical Significance of Stippling
- Stippling used to be believed to indicate gingival health.
- Smooth gingiva can be a sign of disease if stippling has been lost.
- Stippling is not a reliable indicator of disease on its own.
- Other clinical signs and symptoms should be considered for accurate diagnosis.
- The absence of stippling does not necessarily indicate gingival disease.
Research and References
- Itoiz ME and Carranza FA discuss the gingiva in their book 'Carranza's Clinical Periodontology.'
- Lindhe J, Karring T, and Lang NP provide information on stippling in 'Lindhe's Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry.'
- Capnocytophaga sp., Preston D. Miller, Willoughby D. Miller, and other authors have contributed to the field of dentistry.
- Various specialists, such as endodontologists, orthodontists, and prosthodontists, have their own areas of expertise.
- Additional research and references can be found to further explore stippling in dentistry.
Stippling (Dentistry) as a Stub Article
- The Wikipedia article on stippling in dentistry is considered a stub.
- The article can be expanded with more information and references.
- Categories such as gingiva and dentistry stubs are associated with the article.
- The article is part of a hidden category of stub articles.
- Contributions to expanding the article are encouraged to enhance its content.
The gingiva often possess a textured surface that is referred to as being stippled (engraved points). Stippling only presents on the attached gingiva bound to underlying alveolar bone, not the freely moveable alveolar mucosa or free gingiva. Stippling used to be thought to indicate health, but it has since been shown that smooth gingiva is not an indication of disease, unless it is smooth due to a loss of previously existing stippling.
Stippling is a consequence of the microscopic elevations and depressions of the surface of the gingival tissue due to the connective tissue projections within the tissue. The degree of keratinization and the prominence of stippling appear to be related. To be more specific, stippling occurs at sites of fusion of the epithelial ridges (also known as rete pegs-depression of epithelium) and correspond to the fusion of the valleys created by the connective tissue papillae (elevation of connective tissue papilla. An example of stippling could be dots found in basketball or an orange.
