[Identification of cell types in periodontal pockets with scanning electron microscopy].

Sixteen teeth from patients with advanced periodontal disease were processed with the direct fixative technique for observation with a Scanning Electron Microscope in order to test the adequacy of this technique and to observe the components of the tooth wall of the periodontal pocket. Different cell populations are described emphasizing the appearance of intact neutrophils. The results suggest that this fixative method may be an improvement on the conventional techniques for SEM.