Objective: To measure the width of keratinized gingiva and attached gingiva of anterior dental arch in order to establish reference guidance for periodontal surgery.
Methods: A total of 120 healthy Chinese Han-nationality volunteers aged 20 - 30 years with healthy gingival tissue were recruited. The width of anterior labial dental arch, keratinized gingiva of gingival zenith, depth of gingival sulcus, and the width of coronal-apical keratinized gingiva of interdental papilla were measured respectively and the data were statistically analyzed.
Results: The width of keratinized gingiva and attached gingiva at gingival zenith varied for each individual and tooth location, ranging up to (5.6 ± 1.3) mm in the anterior maxillary region and (4.5 ± 1.1) mm in the anterior submandibular region. The width decreased over the canine and first premolar and increased slightly over the second premolar. The width of keratinized gingiva at interdental papilla ranged from (6.2 ± 1.3) mm to (8.9 ± 1.4) mm in the maxilla and from (5.8 ± 1.0) mm to (7.6 ± 0.9) mm in the mandible. The narrowest width of keratinized gingiva at interdental papilla was located over central incisors.
Conclusions: There is a variation of width on labial keratinized gingiva of anterior dental arch of Han nationality youth among different individuals and tooth locations.