Factors Influencing the Presence of Interproximal Dental Papillae between Maxillary Anterior Teeth: A Clinical and Radiographic Study of the Indian Population

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction The presence of a normal and harmonically shaped papilla is crucial to avoid the presence of the ‘black triangle’ which is of major esthetic concern. The distance from the alveolar bone crest (BC) to the base of the contact area (CP) is a significant factor in determining whether a papilla will fill the interdental space. Aim To correlate the BC-CP distance with a different anatomic variable using a noninvasive method and to describe a simple, repeatable, observational measuring protocol to contribute to the prosthetic and surgical treatment planning. Materials and methods A total of 63 patients were enrolled in the study. A digital radiographs of the interdental embrasure between teeth 12 and 11, 11 and 21 and teeth 21 and 22 were taken with a paralleling cone technique using a RINN film holder. The radiographic data was used to measure the distance between the contact point and the bone crest (BC-CP) and the interdental distance (IDD) at the level of the bone crest. Results The number of papillae that filled the interproximal space decreased with the increasing BC-CP and IDD distance. Conclusion The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the interdental space influence the existence of interdental papilla. How to cite this article Jain N, Dugal R, Kheur M, Musani S. Factors Influencing the Presence of Interproximal Dental Papillae between Maxillary Anterior Teeth: A Clinical and Radiographic Study of the Indian Population. World J Dent 2013;4(3):158-163.