Temperature variations around periodontal pathological lesions.

The objective o f this investigation was to measure the temperature o f acute and chronic gingival lesions and adjacent oral mucosa. Using a precise digital ther­ mometer, temperatures were measured at 10 sites across 12 acute and 18 chronic gingival lesions. The sublingual temperature was used to calculate a temperature differen­ tial in order to correct for variation between individuals and then a further correction was made to allow for position o f the lesion in the mouth. For both types o f lesion warmth increased towards the buccal sulcus. Mean values showed that acute lesions were warmer than the gingival crest while chronic lesions were generally cooler. The temperature variation was as much as 3 °C. Temper­ ature measurement may become a useful diagnostic aid. OPSOMMING