Clinical and computed tomographic evaluations of periodontal phenotypes in a Chinese population: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

To investigate the diagnostic value of probe transparency related to gingival thickness (GT) and keratinized gingival width (KGW) at individual and site levels and explore the relationship of buccal bone plate thickness (BT) with GT and KGW. A total of 1,606 teeth from 167 patients with periodontally healthy maxillary anterior region were included. GT was measured with probe transparency and transgingival probing. KGW was measured directly. BTs were assessed at the level 1mm apical to the alveolar crest (BT1) and midpoint of the root (BT2) and evaluated at individual and tooth levels along with their mutual associations. The prevalence of thick gingiva was 53% with probe transparency measurement and 51% with transgingival probing. The cutoff gingival thickness was 0.8mm, which correlated moderately with a Cohen's kappa of 0.386. The mean GT, KGW, and BTs (BT1 and BT2) in the maxillary anterior region were 0.97 ± 0.46, 5.51 ± 1.62, 0.85 ± 0.31, and 0.79 ± 0.32mm, respectively. GT and KGW correlated mildly (r = 0.261), and GT and BTs correlated moderately (BT1: r = 0.298; BT2: r = 0.338). GT and BTs differed significantly between men and women and among different tooth sites. GT and BTs correlated positively in the maxillary anterior region and varied within and among individuals. Sex was a factor influencing the gingival phenotype and bone morphotype. GT measured with transgingival probing, with a cutoff of 0.8mm, could serve as an objective measure to distinguish different gingival phenotypes.