The effects of intra-arterial epinephrine and nicotine on gingival circulation.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG) was the result of ischemia resulting from three predisposing factors. Vascular stasis, stress, and smoking were said to combine and induce severe vascular constriction at the end arterial locations of the gingivae, resulting in necrosis of the part. The experimental animal used was the rabbit; clinical doses of epinephrine and nicotine were infused intraarterially and the gingival circulation was monitored by the heat-diffusion principle. It was found that the chemicals caused a severe reduction in flow rates in spite of greatly increased pressure within the system. The finding supports the hypothesis that ischemia could play an important role in the initiation of ANUG.