Aims. The aim of the present investigation was to study thickness of mastic
atory mucosa and gingival width in subjects with different periodontal phen
otypes.
Methods: Periodontal phenotypes were defined with the aid of cluster analys
is of standardised parameters including mean gingival thickness and width a
s well as ratio of crown width to its length at maxillary canines, lateral
and central incisors of 40 young adults with healthy periodontal conditions
.
Results: 3 groupings could be observed. Clusters A1 and A2 comprised 75% of
all subjects. They were characterised by thin gingiva and a slender tooth
form. Clusters Al and A2 were differentiated by gingival width. Cluster B c
omprised 11 subjects with relatively thick and wide gingiva and a quadratic
tooth shape. In general, characteristics of the frontal sextant in the max
illa were also found in other parts of the dentition. Thus, mean thickness
of masticatory mucosa as well as gingival width and crown form differed sig
nificantly among clusters. In addition, cluster B subjects had a significan
tly greater mean periodontal probing depth. Multiple linear regression anal
ysis was employed to identify significant factors influencing palatal mucos
al thickness. Women had considerably thinner palatal mucosa than men. Furth
ermore, cluster affiliation had a significant influence on thickness of pal
atal mucosa. Thickest tissue was found in the premolar region, whereas the
mucosa over the root prominence of the first molar represented an anatomica
l barrier for graft harvesting.
Conclusions: Thickness of masticatory mucosa strongly depends on gender and
the periodontal phenotype.