The width of attached gingiva on supraerupted teeth

On basis of earlier results it seems justified to assume that the antomical width of the attached gingiva, i.e. the distance from the mucogingival junction to the cemento-enamel junction in human type of teeth is in direct proportion to the amount of past tooth eruption. For experimental verification of this hypothesis a study was designed to assess the anatomical width of attached gingiva on supraerupted teeth in man. The material of the sutdy comprised 28 first and second maxillary mucogingival junction was marked with short pieces of metal wire, orthopantomograms were taken, and the distances from the mucongingival junction to the floor of the nasal cavity and to the cemento-enamel junction used as controls. A comparision wa also made between the supraerupted teeth and previously measured normally occluding teeth. The results indicated that even during pronounced supraeruption the teeth tend to erupt with their investing tissues while the location of the mucogingival junction remains constant. This finding is of special interest as it should make it possible to treat the problem of a too narrow zone of attached gingiva by grinding the tooth out of occlusion and allowing it and its gingival margin to erupt.