Apical migration of the junctional epithelium in the human primary dentition as a multifactorial phenomenon.

Apical migration of the gingival junctional epithelium and/or attachment loss in the human primary dentition have been reported in the literature. The findings of several histological, in vitro and radiographic studies are summarized and related to the etiology of this phenomenon. An hypothesis that apical migration of the junctional epithelium, in the human primary dentition, is the result of a combination of the qualitative characteristics of the inflammatory cell infiltrate, passive eruption and the shedding process is presented.