TOPIC: Periodontal Ligament

PRESENTED BY: Manahil Mushtaq

PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT
Introduction:
It is a fibrous joint that suspends the roof of each tooth in a bony socket. It surrounds the root and connects it to
the bone.
The Periodontal ligament occupies the periodontal space, which is located between the cementum and the
periodontal surface of alveolar bone and extends coronally to the most apical part of the lamina propria of the
gingiva.
It is vascular.
• It is a dense fibrous connective tissue that contains many cells.
Some of its other names are:
• Periodontal membrane
• Gomphosis
• Desmodont
• Peri cementum
• Alveolodental ligament
 PERIODONTIUM:
It is a connective tissue organ and it
helps in connecting the tooth to the
alveolar bone. It is made up of 4
tissues
• Cementum
• PDL
• Alveolar Bone
• Dento-gingival junction
It is narrow in permanent teeth as
compared to deciduous.
WIDTH, SHAPE AND THICKNESS:

WIDTH SHAPE
0.015 to 0.38 mm • It gives an hourglass
appearance i.e. It is thinner
THICKNESS at the middle and wider at
IN YOUNG: 0.21 mm the ends.
IN MATURE: 0.18 mm
IN OLD: 0.15 mm
 DEVELOPMENT OF PDL
• The development of PDL begins with
root formation prior to tooth
eruption.
• HERS are formed by the elongation of
cervical loop, going apical direction
between dental follicle and dental
papilla.
• This sheath forms a circumferencial or
it encloses the dental papilla.
• The dental follicle is made up of two
type of cells.
• A) Mesenchymal cells of dental
follicle proper.
• Perifollicular mesenchymal cells are:
 widely separated from eachother.
 small euchromatic nuclei.
 very little cytoplasm.
As root formation continues the PM cells
changes in appearance i.e. it elongates and
contains RER, Golgi apparatus etc.
COMPOSITION
CELLS EXTRACELLULAR
1. Synthetic cells SUBSTANCES
Osteoblasts
Fibers
Fibroblasts
Cementoblasts Collagen fibers
2. Resorptive cells
Osteoclasts
Oxytalan fibers
Fibroblasts Ground substance
Cementoclasts
3. Progenitor cells Glycosaminoglycans
4. Epithelial Rests of Malassez Glycoproteins
5. Defense cells
Mast Cells
Macrophages
 SYNTHETIC CELLS

• These are the cells that produces the matrix.

OSTEOBLASTS:
Origin: Primitive mesenchymal stem cells.
 These cells covers the periodontal surface of alveolar
bone i.e. lines the bone surface.
 These are cuboidal in shape with a prominent round
nucleus at the basal end of the cell.
 These cells contact one another through desmoses
and tight junctions.
Function:
Formation of new bone.
Regulation of bone remodeling.
Mineralization of osteoid.
secretion of non collagenous and collagenous proteins.
• FIBROBLASTS:
Predominant cells.
• Origin:
A) Fibroblasts near cementum from ectomesenchymal cells of investing
layer of dental pappila.
B) Fibroblasts near alveolar bone from perivascular mesenchyme.
 These are large cells with extensive cytoplasm, abundant organelles and
nucleus.
 Oriented with their long axis parallel to the direction of collagen fibres.
 Alligned along and between collagen fibres.
 Appearance governed by surrounding matrix.
 Fibroblasts of PDL generate an organizational pattern as they have ability
to bith, synthesize and shape the proteins of the extracellular matrix.
FUNCTION:
• It secretes collagen and elastin, proteoglycans, glycoproteins and
glycosaminoglycans and Matrix metalloproteins.
• It produces growth factors and cytokines.
• It maintains the width of PDL fibres and thicness of PDL.
• Organizes fibrous network and generate force for tooth eruption.
• Regulate collagen turnover by phagocytosing old collagen fibres.
CEMENTOBLASTS:
Origin: Hertwing Epithelial Root Sheath (HERS) or dental follicle.
 These cells lines the cementum of the surface.
 These are cuboidal cells with abundant cytoplasm and a large
vesicular nucleus with one or more nuclei.
 All cells required for protein synthesis and secretion are present.
 Cells actively deposits cellular cementum exhibit basophilic
cytoplasm and cytoplasmic processes.
 They contain less amount of RER as compared to Fibroblasts.
FUNCTION:
• Lay down cementum, that helps in attachment of the tooth to
the alveolar bone via the collagen fibres of PDL.
RESORPTIVE CELLS
OSTEOCLASTS:
Origin: Hematopoietic stem cells of monocyte-
macrophage lineage
These resorb bone and tend to be Large and
multinucleated but can also be small and
mononuclear.
Are found against the bony surface occupying shallow
depression called Howship’s Lacunae.
Numerous mitochondria and lysosomes, abundant
Golgi saccules, and free ribosomes but little RER.
FUNCTION:
• Plays an important role in bone resorption.
•Responsible for remodeling.
 • FIBROBLASTS:
Origin: Arise from stem cells in the vicinity of blood vessels.
 Appear as flattened disc-shaped cells with low nuclear cytoplasmic ratio.
 The nucleus contains prominent nucleoli.
 Possess clia and intercellular contacts.
 they form phagolysosme where the enzymatic digestion of the collagen fibres
takes place.

FUNCTION:
Collagen degradation.
Rernodeling of matribx.
CEMENTOCLASTS:
Origin:Origin of cementoclasts is unknown, probably arise in the same
manner as osteoclasts.
Mononuclear or multinucleated giant cells in Howship's lacunae on
surface of cementum.
Similar to osteoclasts.
As cementum doesnot remodel, Cementoclasts are not usually found in
the ligament.
FUNCTION:
Resorption of cementum
PROGENITOR CELLS
• These are mostly related to blood vessels.
• They have capacity to undergo division.
• These cells tends to have a small,
closedfaced nucleus and very little
cytoplasm.
• When stimulated appropriately, these
cells undergo mitotic division and can
differentiate into fibroblasts, osteoblasts
and cementoblasts.
 DEFENSE CELLS
MAST CELLS
• These cells includes macrophages, mast
cells and eosinophils.
• mast cell is relatively round and oval having
a diameter of 12-15 micrometer.
• these cells are associated with blood vessels
and have round nucleus.
FUNCTION:
• Mast cell histamine plays a role in the
inflammatory reaction.
• They play an important role in regulating
endothelial and fibroblast cell populations.
• MACROPHAGES
• These defense cells are drived from
monocytes.
• Macrophages are also found in the
ligament and are predominately located
adjacant to blood vessels.
• Nucleoli are rarely seen.
• FUNCTION:
• Phagocytosing dead cells.
• Secreting growth factors that regulate
the proliferation of adjacant fibroblasts.
• EOSINOPHILS:
• These cells are rarely seen in
the periodontal ligament.
• They posses granules that
consist of one or more
crystalloid structures.
• FUNCTION:
• These cells are capable of
phagocytosis.
 EPITHELIAL CELLS OF MALASSEZ
• Remnants of HERS ( Hertwing Epithelial
Root Sheath)
• These cells are found very close to
cementum.
• During the formation of cementum HERS
breakdown takes place. The persisting
HERS are called cells of Molassez.
• Mostly seen in children.
• It may give rise to cysts or tumors
ultimately forming cementicles.
• They might be involved in periodontal
repair and regeneration.
COLLAGEN FIBRES

• Collagen is a protein made up of different aminoacids;

the most important being glycine, hydroxylysine,
proline and hydroxyproline.
• The amount of collagen in a tissue can be determined
by hydroxyproline content.
• The collagen is gathered to form bundles
approximately 5 micrometer in diameter.
• These bundles are known as Principal fibres.
 TYPES OF COLLAGEN FIBRES
TYPE 1 TYPE 3
70% 30%
It contains two identical It contains three identical Alpha
Alpha 1 chains and a chemically 1 chains.
different Alpha 2 chain.

It is low in Hydroxyproline and It is high in Hydroxyproline and low

Hydroxylysine. in Hydroxylysine.

TYPE 5: Coats cell surfaces and other type of cells.

TYPE 6: Elasticity.
TYPE 7&8: Blood vessel.
TYPE 9: Only in fully functional PDL.
 ELASTIC FIBRES
• MATURE • IMMATURE
• Elastin • Elaunin
• These are mostly on the walls of the • Mostly seen in the gingival ligament.
blood vessels. • Amorphous elastin fibres are present.
• It contains elastic core surrounded • microfibrils are present.
by micro fibrils. • Oxytalan
• doesnot have elastin in any form.
• only contains microfibrils.
• they support the blood vessels.
• these fibres runs axially and its one
end is embedded in the cementum or
in wall of blood vessels.
GROUND SUBSTANCE

Amorphous background materials that bind tissue and fluids

Consists of 2 components:
• Glycosaminoglycans: hyaluronic acid,proteoglycans
• Glycoprotein : fibronectin and laminin
70% water content.
An increase in tissue fluids occurs within the
amorphous matrix of ground substances in areas of
injury and inflammation.
•THANK
YOU!