Burton's line, also known as the Burton line or Burtonian line, is a

clinical sign Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showin ...

found in patients with chronic

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. The brain is the most sensitive. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, inferti ...

. It is a very thin, black-blue line visible along the margin of the

gums The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue linin ...

, at the base of the teeth. The sign was described in 1840 by Henry Burton: A similar line, the " bismuth line", occurs in people who have ingested

bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental ...

compounds; bismuth, however, is of very low toxicity.

References

Medical signs Lead poisoning {{med-toxic-stub