Dental calculus is a hard deposit that is formed by calcification of dental plaque primarily composed of calcium phosphate mineral salts which is deposited on natural teeth and restorations and is covered by a layer of unmineralized plaque. These hard deposits may form coronal to or apical to the gingival margin, hence named accordingly as supragingival and subgingival calculus respectively. The distribution of calculus is very versatile and it differs from individual to individual, from tooth to tooth, and from surface to surface. So, a thorough knowledge on prevalence of calculus is important for the clinician in outlining the treatment plan. It is a well-known fact that calculus is itself not an inducing agent for pathological changes that occur in gingival tissues; instead it is covered by a layer of unmineralized plaque which is proven to be the key etiological agent involved in these pathogenic mechanisms. But, attributing to the porosity of calculus and its ability to retain bacterial antigens makes it an important contributing factor in initiating and accentuating periodontal disease progression. In this review, we made an attempt to discuss various aspects of calculus composition, its formation, and its etiological significance in periodontal disease progression.
How to cite this article
Aghanashini S, Puvvalla B, Mundinamane DB, Apoorva SM, Bhat D, Lalwani M. A Comprehensive Review on Dental Calculus. J Health Sci Res 2016;7(2):42-50.
The Gingival epithelium comprises of three different areas based on their anatomical and functional points of view 1) the oral or outer epithelium (OGE), 2) Sulcular epithelium (SE) and 3) Junctional epithelium (JE). The junctional epithelium may be regarded as the most interesting structure of the gingiva. The formation of junctional epithelium in the implant/mucosal interface can be considered as the first barrier of defense against oral micro flora. Any kind of disruption of this barrier will lead to initiation and progression of progression of periodontal disease. Hence, in this review we made an attempt to wrap various concepts of junctional epithelium formation, its role in disease progression and its relation to the implant surface.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.