Periodontal characteristics in individuals with varying form of the upper central incisors

Abstract It has been suggested that the variation in the morphology of the human periodontium may be 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 aim of the present study was (i) to identify individuals with markedly different crown forms and (ii) to determine probing pocket depth, probing attachment level and amount of gingival recession that had occurred at different teeth and tooth surfaces in such individuals. Clinical photographs of the maxillary incisor tooth region of 113 subjects who had been recruited for a long-term study on periodontal disease were available. The length (CL) and width (CW) of the crowns were determined and the CW/CL ratio was calculated for each tooth. 10% in each tail, 11 subjects in each group, were arbitrarily chosen as having either a long-narrow (N) or a short-wide (W) form of the central incisors. The probing pocket depth, probing attachment level and gingival recession data available from all subjects and subjects in groups W and N were compared and analyzed using the Student t-test and multiple regression analysis. The result from the analyses demonstrated that: (1) subjects with a long-narrow form of the upper central incisors had experienced more recession of the gingival margin at buccal surfaces than subjects who had a short-wide tooth form; (2) there was a significant influence of the CW/CL-ratio on the probing attachment level (p<0.05) and the amount of gingival recession (p<0.01) on buccal tooth surfaces. The observations reported tend to confirm the hypothesis that subjects with long, narrow teeth have a comparatively thin periodontium, and may be more susceptible to gingival recession than subjects who belong to a thick periodontal “biotype”.