title: Vascular basis of mucosal color.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Besides the color of the teeth the color of the alveolar gingiva plays a crucial role in esthetic rehabilitation in dento-alveolar treatment. Whereas nowadays the color of the teeth can be determined exactly and individually, the specific influence of the red color of the gingiva on treatment has not been assessed yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vascularization as the basis for gingival esthetics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standardized photographs of defined areas of the alveolar gingiva in operated and non-operated patients were taken and assigned to groups with same characteristics after color comparisons. In addition, histologic and immunohistologic analyses of gingival specimens were performed for qualitative and quantitative assessment of vessels and vascularization. Finally, colors and number of vessels were correlated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results demonstrated three different constellations of colors of the alveolar gingiva in healthy patients. The operated patients could not be grouped because of disparate depiction. There was a clear correlation between color and vessel number in the alveolar gingiva.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our investigations revealed the connections between vascularization and gingival color. Recommendations for specific change or even selection of colors based on the results cannot be given, but the importance of vascularly based incision lines was demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Muenster, Waldeyerstr, 30, D-48149 Muenster, Germany. joklein@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleinheinz
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Büchter
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fillies
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Joos
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D005881:Gingiva / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply*