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Updated: May 14, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Papilla characteristics and gingival exhibit in the interdental and gingival smile line: An age- and gender-based
Rajashri Abhay Kolte1, Abhay Pandurang Kolte1, Shefali Paresh Mangrolia1
1Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, Ranjeet Deshmukh Dental College and Research Centre, Nagpur, India, affiliated to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, India.
Background:
The interdental papillae, constrained within the complex configuration of interproximal embrasures, play a significant role in dental esthetics.
Objectives:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate papilla characteristics and gingival exhibit in the interdental smile line (ISL) and the gingival smile line (GSL) with reference to age and gender.
Material And Methods:
A total of 120 periodontally healthy patients aged 20-60 years were equally divided into 4 groups: group I - male patients aged 20-40 years; group II - female patients aged 20-40 years; group III - male patients aged 41-60 years; and group IV - female patients aged 41-60 years. The maxillary anterior teeth and the corresponding gingival tissues were evaluated for papilla height (PH), gingival thickness (GT), gingival exhibit in ISL (visible interdental papillae on smiling - VIG) and GSL (visible midfacial gingiva on smiling - VMG), and the papilla presence index (PPI) scores through both clinical examination and digital photographic analysis.
Results:
The overall mean values of PH, VIG and VMG were higher in groups II and IV, whereas GT showed lower values in these groups. The VIG values for groups I and II were 1.87 ±1.83 mm and 3.47 ±1.88 mm, respectively, while groups III and IV demonstrated values of 1.05 ±1.70 mm and 2.73 ±2.40 mm, respectively. Age-based comparisons revealed reduced values for all evaluated parameters in the older age groups. The PPI scores demonstrated a predominance of PPI-1 in groups I, II and III, whereas group IV predominantly exhibited PPI-2 scores. Regarding the smile line characteristics, a low GSL (LGSL) was predominantly observed across all groups irrespective of gender, while a low ISL (LISL) was more common in groups I and III, and a high ISL (HISL) predominated in groups II and IV.
Conclusions:
Gender-related variability was evident in the parameters of PH, VIG and VMG, which demonstrated considerably higher mean values in groups II and IV (females), whereas GT exhibited lower values in these groups. Age-related changes were observed in PH, VIG, VMG, and GT, with a notable reduction in the mean values among the older age groups.
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