The attached gingiva thickness in the mandibular anterior region during the early transitional dentition phase

Objectives: Adequate gingival thickness provides a stable base for appropriate oral hygiene maintenance and mucogingival lesion prevention. The study aim was to assess attached gingiva thickness in relation to its width, probing depth, crowding, and tooth position in the arch during the early transitional dentition phase. Method and materials: A cross-sectional study in 193 children aged 7 years with healthy mucogingival complex was conducted, and PIROP ultrasonic biometer measurement of gingival thickness of mandibular incisors was applied. To compare qualitative variables across different dentition groups, chi-square test or Fisher exact test were used, and for quantitative variables Kruskal-Wallis test plus post-hoc analysis (Dunn test). Spearman correlation coefficient was used to correlate gingival thickness with width of attached gingiva, as well as Kruskal-Wallis test and post-hoc analysis to assess the relationship between gingival thickness and tooth position in the arch, type of incisor, and eruption phase. Results: The mean gingival thickness value was less than 1 mm in all incisor type groups. The thinnest gingiva was noticed at permanent newly erupted incisors (0.72 ± 0.36; P < .001). Thickness of attached gingiva positively correlated with its width and with probing depth (r = 0.164, P < .001). Gingival thickness was significantly thinner at incisors positioned labially. No correlation of attached gingiva thickness with transitional crowding in mandibular incisor segment was observed. Conclusions: The results revealed thin gingiva at mandibular incisors in white children during the early transitional dentition phase. Objective, ultrasound measurements were used for the first time in a pediatric population, and the device was simple and well tolerated.