Measurements of the gingival papillae architecture using cone-beam computed tomography in young Chinese adults

Gang Yang; Jie Cao; Wenjie Hu; Kwok-Hung Chung

doi:10.7717/peerj.10006

Measurements of the gingival papillae architecture using cone-beam computed tomography in young Chinese adults

PeerJ. 2020 Sep 23:8:e10006. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10006. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Gang Yang¹, Jie Cao¹, Wenjie Hu¹, Kwok-Hung Chung²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Periodontology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease, National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China.
² Department of Restorative Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to measure the morphology of interdental papillae (IP) in maxillary anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods: Twenty-seven periodontally healthy subjects with 135 IP were evaluated by means of periodontal examination and a CBCT scan with an elastomeric matrix containing radiopaque material in position. According to the status of tooth contact and presence of IP, subjects were categorized into three groups: open contact point, complete papillae, and deficient papillae group. The papillae height (PH), facial-lingual thickness (FLT), and interdental distance (IDD) were measured. Data was analyzed with the significance level at α = 0.05.

Results: The mean PH values were 4.17 ± 0.51 mm, 3.99 ± 0.61 mm, and 3.99 ± 0.62 mm, for the open contact group, complete papilla, and deficient papilla group, respectively. The PH values of the recorded sites among central incisors, lateral incisors, and canine were 4.13 ± 0.56 mm, 3.87 ± 0. 63 mm, and 4.07 ± 0.58 mm, respectively. No statistically significant differences of the PH values were determined between the above three tested groups as well as between the different sites (p > 0.05). The IDD values obtained from the complete papilla group were significantly lower than the other tested groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The contact point condition of upper anterior sextants may not influence the presence and dimension of the IP in periodontally healthy subjects.

Keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography; Contact point; Esthetic zone; Interdental papilla.

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61876005) and the Capital Medical Development and Research Fund, PRC (No. 2011-4025-04). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.