THE EXTRA-OSSEOUS INNERVATION OF THE GINGIVAE

A LTHOUGH the literature, bearing upon the innervation of a tooth and its periodontium, as demonstrated microscopically, is rather voluminous, information concerning the total number of nerves that are involved in inner-vating all of the mandibular and maxillary teeth and their supporting struc-tures, especially the gingivae, is scant. Several investigators, notably Stewart and his co-workers,18 39-41 have demonstrated by means of histologic preparations that the supporting structures of a tooth are innervated by intra-osseous and extra-osseous nerves. The term intra-osseous refers to the alveolar or dental nerves which course within the mandible and maxillae. According to these investigators, fibers of these nerves supply not only the dental pulp but also the periodontal membrane, the sur-rounding alveolar process, and the gingiva. By the term extra-osseous nerves is meant those nerves which are situated external to the mandible and maxillae on their buccolabial and palatolingual aspects and from which, according to these investigators, fibers can be traced microscopically to the gingiva, alveola