PAPILLO-INCISAL DISTANCE

Objectives: To compare the influence of various arch forms on papillo-incisal distance PID (distance between posterior limit of the incisive papilla and the most prominent contour of the labial surface of maxillary central incisors). Study design: Descriptive study. Place and duration of study: Department of Prosthodontics, Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan, from October 2004-December 2005 & May2010-September2010. Methodology: A total of 250 subjects, 125 male and 125 female were included. Theme of evaluation was incisive papilla maxillary central incisor distance and arch form. Normal healthy subjects with symmetrical arches and all teeth present except third molars were included. Subjects with malformed teeth, periodontal problems, orthodontic treatment or restorations on the labial tooth surfaces were excluded. Data was analyzed in SPSS 16 package by applying t test and ANOVA, with p≤0.05 as cut off point for statistical significance. Results: The mean PID was 12.02mm SD±1.5. Among the subjects 82% had ovoid, 7% had tapering and 11% had squarish arches. Conclusions: Mean PID 12.02mm SD±1.5is suggested for artificial central incisors replacement. There is higher presentation of ovoid arches with a strong influence of arch forms (p-value <0.02) and a weak influence of gender (p-value <0.489) on PID.