Hida Tajasar, Faiza Malik, Rabia Tabassum, Mubashir Rasheed, Hira Asghar, Muhammad Moazzam.
Association of Median Diastema with Maxillary Labial Frenal Attachment in School-Going Children.
J Sharif Med Dent Coll Jan ;7(01):11-6.

Objective: To determine the frequency of the type of maxillary labial frenal attachment and its association with median diastema in school-going children of Raiwind, Lahore. Methodology: After taking ethical approval from Sharif Medical & Dental College, this cross-sectional study was carried out in 8 different schools of Raiwind, Lahore, during a period of 3 months, from January to March 2020. A total of 815 school-going children of both genders, aged 10 to 16 years, were included in this study, after prior permission from the school principals and written informed consent from the parents of these children. Intraoral examination was performed on these children to check the type of maxillary labial frenal attachment (mucosal, gingival, papillary, papillary penetrating), median diastema (presence or absence), and type of dentition (mixed or permanent). Results: A total of 815 children participated in this study with a mean age of 12.5+/-1.1 years, out of which 56.2% were males and 43.8% were females. Gingival type of maxillary labial frenum was most common while the papillary penetrating was the least common. Median diastema was present in about 32.8% of the children with no statistically significant difference in genders. Diastema was present in 100% of the students having the papillary penetrating type of labial frenal attachment. It was least common in mucosal type (22.8%) of frenal attachment. Regarding the type of dentition, 57.9% had mixed dentition and 42.1% had permanent dentition. An association between median diastema and type of frenal attachment was determined using the Chi-gender test and the results were significant (p <=0.05). There was a statistically significant difference of frenal attachment types among gender and dentition as well. Conclusion: This study found maxillary labial frenal attachment types in children in the following descending order: gingival, mucosal, papillary, and papillary penetrating. The percentage of median diastema was highest in papillary penetrating type and lowest in mucosal type of labial frenum. The association between median diastema and the type of labial frenal attachment was statistically significant. Keywords: Maxillary labial frenal attachment. Median diastema. Frenectomy.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com