The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of the palato-gingival groove in maxillary incisor teeth and the health status of the lingual periodontal tissues adjacent to maxillary incisor teeth with and without the grooves. A total of 531 individuals aged 17 to 35 years were examined for the presence or absence of palato-gingival grooves in their maxillary incisor teeth. A Plaque Index (PII), Gingival Index (GI), and Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) were recorded for the lingual aspect of the four maxillary incisors. Tooth mobility was also recorded. The prevalence of the palato-gingival grooves in the 531 individuals examined was 8.5%. Of the 2,099 maxillary incisor teeth examined, 2.33% had a palato-gingival groove. Most of the palato-gingival grooves (93.8%) were in maxillary lateral incisor teeth. Statistical analyses revealed no differences in groove prevalence on the basis of sex or race. Results of the study also indicate that the palato-gingival groove is associated with poorer periodontal health as measured by the GI and PDI and more plaque accumulation as measured with the PII.

The report is a review of the literature related to hepatitis B and its implications for dental practitioners. Hepatitis B represents a serious health risk among dentists and simple preventive measures can greatly reduce the risk of transmission or contraction of the disease. Certain positive findings in a healthy history should alert the dentist that he may be treating a carrier of hepatitis B. If so, the wearing of gloves, a mask and protective eyewear will almost totally protect one from contracting the disease. To guard against transmission of hepatitis B to other patients in the dental practice, all instruments should be sterilized and all environmental surfaces should be appropriately treated. A person with a confirmed exposure to hepatitis B should be inoculated with immune serum globulin.

Various methodologies were examined for the isolation of inflammatory cells from diseased human gingiva. The best recovery of viable gingival lymphocytes (gMNC) was achieved by a method which combined initial collagenase digestion followed by gentle teasing with an 18-gauge needle.

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