Assessment of gingival sulcus depth, in primary, mixed and permanent dentition-Part-1

Singh Shivani,K.L Vandana

doi:10.14419/ijdr.v5i2.7962

Abstract

Aim and objective: The objective of this in-vivo study was to evaluate toothwise and archwise sulcus depth in human primary, mixed and permanent dentition of Indian population.Method: The study included 40 subjects (22 males and 18 females) of an age range 4-25 years. Subjects were divided into 3 groups – the primary dentition (4-6 years) mixed dentition (7-13 years) and adult dentition (16-25 years). All the parameters were measured in upper and lower anterior segments.Results: Gingival sulcus depth (GSD) was measured archwise and toothwise in different dentitions and overall dentition wise without differentiating archwise and toothwise. GSD was significantly higher in maxillary mixed dentition (1.75±0.75) followed by permanent and primary dentition. In all the dentition, maxillary central incisor showed significant GSD.Conclusion: The sulcus depth is maximum in mixed dentition followed by primary and permanent dentitions and significantly higher in maxillary central incisor.

Highlights

Gingiva is the part of masticatory oral mucosa, which covers the cervical area of teeth and alveolar process of the lower and upper jaws and acts as a strong barrier against the penetration of irritants into the periodontal tissue (Itoz & Carranza 1996)
In all the three dentition, in maxilla, Gingival sulcus depth (GSD) was significantly higher in central incisors (C.I) followed by lateral incisors (L.I) and canine (C)
Among all the dentitions, only in permanent dentition, central incisor (1.3±0.3) showed significantly higher GSD followed by permanent lateral incisor and canine (1.2±0.1) and (1.1± 0.4) respectively (Table 3 and 4) (Graph 1)

Summary

Introduction

Gingiva is the part of masticatory oral mucosa, which covers the cervical area of teeth and alveolar process of the lower and upper jaws and acts as a strong barrier against the penetration of irritants into the periodontal tissue (Itoz & Carranza 1996). At the bottom of the gingival sulcus, junctional epithelium attaches the gingiva to the tooth surface. The onset of periodontal disease is signified by the loss of attachment of the junctional epithelium from the tooth surface, resulting in a deepened gingival sulcus, known as the periodontal pocket. Sulcus depth measurement plays an important role in diagnosing periodontal disease (Pathak & Nandlal 2016). It has some limitations because it does not detect current disease activity, but merely demonstrates the past destruction pattern. Midline search using keyword's sulcus depth, primary, mixed and permanent dentition revealed few studies. The study protocol comprises of recording of gingival sulcus depth, attached gingiva width, and gingival thickness in primary, mixed and permanent dentition.

Methods

Results

Conclusion