[Mast cells in gingival inflammations].

Mast cells are the normal components of the connective tissues. They are found in different densities and different regions of the inflamed and healthy gingival tissues. The role of mast cell mediators in periodontal disease progression were not studied in detail. Since the roles of mast cells in periodontal tissues are not clear, this study aimed to count the number of mast cells in gingival tissues of healthy volunteers and patients with gingival inflammation. Numbers of mast cells were found increased on inflamed tissues comparing to healthy tissues. This increase is closely related with the degree of inflammation on the fields which counting made on.