Determining the gingival biotype based on dentopapillary compound

Introduction: Knowledge of the gingival biotype or phenotype is of fundamental importance to an oral clinician. There is a direct correlation between gingival biotype and susceptibility to gingival recession following surgical and restorative procedures. The thick and slightly scalloped marginal gingiva with short and wide teeth on the one hand and the thin and highly scalloped marginal gingiva with slender teeth on the other may be the reason for different periodontal entities or so-called “gingival biotypes.” Aim: The present study is to analyze gingival biotype based on dentopapillary complex, taking transparency of the periodontal probe through the gingival margin as a method to differentiate thin from thick gingiva in different age groups. Materials and Methods: Sixty periodontally healthy individuals with all anterior teeth in both the jaws were participated in this study. Results: Thick biotype had area of anterior crowns as 490.17 mm2. Thin biotype had area of anterior crowns as 420.14 mm2 with P = 0.00 having high clinical significance. Conclusion: Teeth with large dentopapillary area had thick gingival biotype. Taking into consideration that the shape, size, form of the tooth and the surrounding gingiva is of paramount importance for the causation and progression of disease