Bernard H. Wasserman

Relationship of occlusion and periodontal disease: part IX-incisor inclination and periodontal status.

In this study population the following observations have been made: Periodontal destruction, gingival inflammation and mobility were not significantly related to axial inclination of the incisor teeth. Labial gingival recession of the mandibular incisor was related to linguoversion (less than 85 degrees to GoGn). No other associations between incisor inclination and labial or lingual recession were found. Age was not related to either maxillary or mandibular incisor inclination. The periodontal-incisor inclination relationships reported above for periodontal destruction and gingival inflammation were not altered by the factor of age. Study of the secondary influence of incisor inclination on the relationships of selected occlusal factors and periodontal pathosis showed: A. Severe overjet (more than 6mm) had been found to be associated with more periodontal destruction. With severe overjet maxillary incisors in linguoversion (less than 100 degrees to SN) were somewhat healthier than all others. Among the same cases of severe overjet mandibular incisors in labioversion had slightly more disease than all others. B. The absence of a significant correlation between anterior overbite or crowding reported previously was not influenced by incisor inclination. C. Facial alveolar bone thickness, observed clinically, was studied for its relation to periodontal destruction and gingival inflammation. Thick facial alveolar bone was found to be associated with increased pathosis. This finding was not consistent for the maxillary and mandibular incisor and the influence of other factors might be suspected: Incisor inclination had no effect on the bone thickness-periodontal disease findings.