title: Morphology and dimensions of the dentogingival unit in the altered passive eruption.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study define altered passive eruption (APE) and evaluate the morphology of the dentogingival unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  123 individuals subjected to clinical examination and parallel profile radiography of the upper central incisor. An evaluation was made of the correlation between the clinical diagnosis of APE and the degree of gingival overlap; by using a 19% overlap to define APE (Kappa concordance index=0.7). The Mann-Whitney / Wilcoxon test was used to identify the variables influencing APE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant differences were observed between the teeth with and without APE: gingival width (p=0.0073), clinical crown length (p=0.0000), smiling exposed gums (p=0.0000), bone crest thickness (p=0.0030), connective tissue attachment thickness (p=0.0003) and biological width (p=0.0015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The APE is characterized by: a gingival overlapping of over 19% of the length of the anatomical crown, increased gingival width and gingival smile; furthermore is associated to a thick bone crest and connective tissue attachment. Statistical analysis confirms two morphological patterns of APE.
authors.affiliation: Valencia University Medical and Dental School, Clínica Odontológica, Gascó Oliag 1, 46010-Valencia, Spain. francisco.alpiste@uv.es
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alpiste-Illueca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014078:Tooth Eruption