The pocket epithelium: a light- and electronmicroscopic study.

The POCKET epithelium is important for the pathogenesis of gingivitis and periodontitis. However, this epithelial variant has never been adequately described. The bioptic material with supraalveolar pockets originated from previous studies in which cotton floss ligatures were placed around the crowns of premolars in eight dogs. After periods of 4 to 21 days or up to 5 months, block biopsies comprising dental and gingival tissues were taken on the buccal side. The tissues were processed for light- and electron microscopic examination. The observations revealed that the pocket epithelium (1) does not attach to the tooth, (2) forms irregular ridges and, over connective tissue papillae, thin coverings which occasionally ulcerate, (3) consists of cells only some of which show a tendency to differentiate, (4) presents a basal lamina complex with discontinuities and multiplications, and (5) is infiltrated mainly by lymphocytes, T- and B-blasts and plasma cells, and is transmigrated by neutrophilic granulocytes. It is concluded that the mosaic-like structure of the pocket epithelium reflects the heterogeneity of the adjacent plaque, that this structure together with the absence of membrane coating granules is the basis for an extremely high permeability, and that epithelial ridges may conduct and collect foreign substances which thereby become more easily recognizable for leukocytes.