Human gingival Langerhans cells in health and disease

Epithelial Langerhans cells in samples of healthy and diseased gingival tissue were studied using ATPase histochemistry and the monoclonal antibodies OKT6 and anti HLA-DR. In healthy gingiva Langerhans cells were seen in both oral and sulcular epithelium; they were generally positioned in the basal layers. No Langerhans cells were seen in junctional epithelium. In diseased tissue there was a large increase in the number of Langerhans cells in both oral and sulcular epithelium with many more being situated in the stratum spinosum. There was an increase in the expression of the Class 2 antigen, HLA-DR, and morphological polarization occurred with dendrites preferentially orientated towards the surface. No Langerhans cells were seen in the pocket lining epithelium of periodontally diseased gingiva.