Correlation of gingival biotypes with clinical parameters

The current progress of the dental treatment in implant and periodontal plastic surgery has led to a further expectation among many patients to the better esthetic results. Predictability of postoperative success is a major consideration in treatment planning both for periodontal treatment and implant treatment. Therefore a careful understanding and analysis of the surrounding tissue is necessary.1) Recently, the dimensions and other characteristics of masticatory gingiva have become the subject of considerable interest in periodontics. For a long time, an “inadequate” zone of keratinized tissue was suggested as a risk factor for the development of gingival recession. That opinion have seriously been questioned by several investigators. Only minimal gingival inflammation has been observed in areas with a very narrow zone of keratinized tissue, and the level of attachment can be maintained even in the absence of attached gingiva provided that the patient maintain proper oral hygiene. Whereas inter-, and intraindividual variation of gingival width has been the subject of numerous investigations, thickness of the gingiva has commanded considerable attention only in recent years. In several other clinical situations, detailed information on the thickness of masticatory mucosa may be highly desirable. For instance, in subjects with thin and vulnerable gingiva, an increased amount of recession is observed following non-surgical periodontal therapy. Moreover, gingival thickness appears to play an important role in wound healing as well as flap management during regenerative and