| Summary: | Healing at the junctional epithelium has been studied at the histological level since early
animal and human gingivectomy studies were done in the 1970s (Listgarten et al., 1972,
Stahl et al., 1972). Relevance of healing in this area relates to regeneration of the
periodontal complex, a goal which has, for the most part, eluded clinical periodontology
since that time. On a molecular level there has been little research at the tooth-tissue
interface and the present study attempts to shed some light on the similarities and
differences in this area compared to other areas in the mouth and rest of the body.
Examination of several cell adhesion molecules and their respective ligands, as well as
the expression of cytokeratins in the area of the junctional epithelium was investigated
between 1 and 60 days post wounding. Cytokeratins 16 and 19 were the earliest
molecules expressed. Upregulation of these cytokeratins was evident from the earliest
time point, at 1 day post wounding. Expression of CK 19 was also observed to a wider
extent in the oral epithelium of periodontitis specimens as well as 1 to 7 day post
wounding. Expression of integrins β1, β4, and β6 was most intense between 3 and 7 days
post wounding and this paralleled the expression of their respective ligands. In addition,
expression of these molecules was usually most intense at a distance from the migratory
tip suggesting increased activity coronal to the migrating cells. Finally, the expression of
p6 was evident at the junctional epithelium of all specimens examined including healthy
tissue samples. Taken together this study provides novel information at a molecular level
of the cells of the human junctional epithelium during wounding. === Dentistry, Faculty of === Graduate
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