Summary: In the first part of the review the authors submit an account of contemporary knowledge of basic high-molecular componenents of periodontal tissue – collagen and proteog- lycans. Periodontal tissue contains seven types of collagen and several types of proteoglycans. Their exact amount has not been assessed so far. The basic chemical properties of these two macromolecules and their combinations account for the basic structural and functional proper- ties of periodontal connective tissues.

        Key words: periodontium – collagen – proteoglycans