title: Periodontal biotype: characteristic, prevalence and dimensions related to dental malocclusion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Knowledge of periodontal anatomy is essential when performing surgical and non-surgical procedures in the field of oral healthcare. Gingival biotype is often assessed for this purpose. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of the gingival biotypes in a group of patients and to evaluate if the gingival biotypes were related with the different types of Angle's classification of malocclusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed on 76 volunteer patients (38 males, 38 females, mean age 14.7 years old). Gingival biotypes were assessed with the evaluation on the translucence of a periodontal probe through the gingival margin of the tooth during the probing, at the mid facial aspect of both maxillary central, lateral incisors and canine; on each patient, Angle's classification of malocclusion was also recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence in the whole sample of thin gingival biotype was 43.4% and thick gingival biotype was 56.6%. The frequency of female with thin gingival biotype was significantly less respect to male patients (42.4% and 55.6%, respectively) while the thick gingival biotype was higher in the female respect to male patients (55.8% and 44.2%, respectively) (χ2=1.339, P=0.247). There was not a significant association between type of malocclusion and gingival biotype (P=0.143). There was however a prevalence of thick gingival biotype in patient with class II malocclusion and a slight prevalence of thin gingival biotype in patient with class I malocclusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No relationship was found between gingival biotypes and Angle's classification of malocclusion. In this sample, a higher prevalence of thick gingival biotype especially among female subjects was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Odontostomatological Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy - gisola@unime.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matarese
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Isola
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ramaglia
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dalessandri
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lucchese
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alibrandi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fabiano
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cordasco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D010519:Periodontium / Q000473:pathology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics