Necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis in the Army; incidence, communicability and treatment.

n the last few years there has been an earnest effort in the dental profession to evaluate and re-examine our proved knowledge of necrotizing ulcerative gin­ givitis and to discard unproved and er­ roneous conceptions. The recent report of the Research Commission of the American Dental Association on nec­ rotizing gingivitis has rendered invalu­ able service in this direction by relegating chemotherapy to its proper position as a mere adjunct to rational treatment.1 There also has been in recent years a healthy suspicion cast from most re­ sponsible quarters on the communicability of the infection. Although it is ad­ mittedly difficult to establish adequate controls which would give us a definite answer, it is possible to draw certain con­ clusions from a mass of data carefully collected and tabulated. For several reasons the Army furnishes ideal conditions under which to collect these data. First, the incidence of necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis was gen­ erally far greater there than in civilian life. Second, the intimacy necessarily en­ forced by garrison and field life could not be matched on such a scale on so true a cross-section of our population else­ where. Third, the patient was under con­ trol which was comparatively complete so that results could be observed. The Army Medical Department had much the same conception of Vincent’s stomatitis that was held by the average dentist. In a circular letter issued on