Associations between maxillary labial frenum Morphology, Attachment, and Patient-Related clinical factors in Saudi Arabian Adults: Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective

This study investigated the prevalence of maxillary labial frenum morphologies and attachment types and their associations with various patient-related clinical variables in a population of Saudi Arabian adults.

Methods

This study comprehensively examined 100 participants of both genders to categorize frenum types and attachment sites. The following clinical variables were recorded: probing depth, clinical attachment loss, attached gingiva width, overjet, overbite, diastema width, central incisor condition, occlusion, previous orthodontic treatment, and the incidence of gummy smile.

Results

The mean age was 32.6 years, and the average diastema width was 0.23 mm. The study found that the simple frenum type was the most common morphology (57 %), and gingival attachment was the most frequent attachment type (54 %). Simple frenum was significantly associated with class I occlusion (p = 0.018), and frenum with nichum was significantly associated with class II occlusion (p = 0.019). Females were more likely to exhibit simple frenum with nodule frenum than males (p = 0.042). Mucosal frenum attachment was significantly correlated with the absence of previous orthodontic treatment (p = 0.042).

Conclusion

The study identified a relationship between the features of the maxillary labial frenum and occlusion as well as previous orthodontic treatment. Our findings suggest that understanding each patient’s unique frenum features can lead to more effective and personalized dental care, thus improving patient satisfaction.