Factors associated with the appearance of gingival papillae

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with the fill of inter-dental spaces by gingival papillae. Materials andMethods: Ninety-six adult subjects were evaluated. Papilla score (PS), tooth form/shape, interproximal contact length and gingival thickness were recorded for 672 maxillary anterior and first pre-molar interproximal sites. Statistical analyses included a non-parametric w2 test, ANOVA, the Mixed Procedure for SAS and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). Results: Papilla deficiency was more frequent in older subjects (po0.05), as papilla height decreased 0.012mm with each year of increasing age (po0.05). Competent papillae (complete fill inter-dentally) were associated with: (1) crown width: length X0.87; (2) proximal contact length X2.8mm; (3) bone crest-contact point 5mm; and (4) interproximal gingival tissue thickness X1.5mm. Gingival thickness correlated negatively with PS (r5 0.37 to 0.54) and positively with tissue height (r5 0.23–0.43). Tooth form (i.e. crown width to length ratio) correlated negativel