Clinical features of the gingiva according to maxillary anterior teeth form in adult

An, Chi Hyun; Heo, Soo Rye; Cho, Ik Hyun; Kim, Hyung Seop

Abstract

It has been suggested that morphologic characteristics of the periodontium are partly related to the shape and form of the teeth. Furthermore, the severity of symptoms of periodontal disease have been proposed to differ among these various morphologic entities or "biotypes". The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the form of the crowns in the maxillary anterior tooth segment and (1) a group of morphological characteristics and (2) the thickness of the gingiva. The thickness of gingiva was measured by ultrasonic device(SDM). 100 subjects devoid of symptoms of destructive periodontal disease were examined regarding, e.g., probing depth, gingival recession, width of keratinized gingiva, thickness of the keratinized gingiva. From maxillary study cast, the width(at the apical third-CW) and the length(CL) of the crowns of the 6 anterior teeth were determined. A CW/CL-ratio was calculated for each tooth and averaged for each tooth region. The individual mean CW/CL-ratio values for the central incisors were ranked. The 10 subjects ranked highest and the 10 ranked lowest were selected as having either a long-narrow(group N) or a short-wide(group W) form of the crown of the tooth. The data for each of the examined parameters were averaged for each tooth region in each subject and mean values for subjects in groups W and N were compared using the Student t-test. Stepwise multiple regression analysis, including data from the whole sample, was performed for each tooth region with the thickness of the free gingiva as the dependent variable. The results from the analyses demonstrated that individuals with a long-narrow form of the central incisors displayed, compared to individuals with a short-wide crown, form (1) a narrow zone of keratinized gingiva, (2) a pronounced "scalloped" contour of the gingival margin. There was no significant difference between groups N and W with respect to the thickness of the keratinized gingiva. The CW/CL-ratio data revealed that a certain form of the crowns in the central incisors was accompanied by a similar form in the lateral incisors and canine tooth region. The regression analyses demonstrated that the thickness of the keratinized gingiva in central, lateral incisors and canines was significantly related to the width of the keratinized gingiva.