Plaque and gingivitis in the deciduous and permanent dentition The aim of the present investigation was to further study the de novo formation of plaque and associated alterations of the gingival conditions in the deciduous, mixed, and permanent dentition in man. Thirty one volunteers were divided into three groups. Group 1 was made up of 11 subjects, 4-6 years of age (deciduous dentition); group 2 comprised 10 subjects, 8-10 years of age (mixed dentition); and group 3 included 10 subjects, 14-16 years of age (permanent dentition). After a screening examination, each subject received oral hygiene instruction and professional tooth cleaning. Some procedures were repeated after one week. This examination included assessment of plaque and gingivitis. Each subject received another tooth cleaning and was asked to abstain from all mechanical oral hygiene. Reexaminations were conducted at 3 and 7 days. The results showed (1) during a seven-day period, subjects with a mixed or a permanent dentition formed visible plaque and developed modest signs of gingivitis; (2) young subjects with a fully erupted deciduous dentition formed less plaque than the older subjects and failed to respond to de novo plaque formation with signs of gingivitis; and (3) in subjects with a mixed dentition, the amount of plaque formed and gingivitis development were similar in the deciduous and permanent tooth segments of the dentition. [s.~.]
Ramberg P.W., J. Lindhe, and A. Gaffar, J Clin Periodont, 21:490, 1994