Prevalence of type of frenal attachment and morphology of frenum in children, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Labial frenum is a dynamic structure and is subject to variation in size, shape and position. The type of the maxillary labial frenal attachment and its morphology in children in Chennai has not been studied extensively. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the prevalence of the various types of maxillary frenal attachments and its morphology in children in Chennai. Materials and methods: A study involving 931 Children between 3 and 12 years of age attending schools in Chennai were clinically examined for maxillary labial frenal attachment location and morphology under direct visual method. Parents were provided with informed consent. Demographic details including age and sex were recorded. Results: Total number of children who were examined were 931. The most prevalent type of frenal attachment among all is gingival type followed by mucosal type of attachment. 49.5% were gingival type, 38.8% were mucosal type, 9.8% were papillary type and 1.9% were papillary penetrating type. The prevalence type had no gender difference but the age had significant association. The occurrence of papillary penetrating type decreases with age. The most prevalent morphological type is simple frenum 97% followed by simple frenum with nodule which is 2.6% and bifid labial frenum which is 0.4%. Conclusion: The prevalent type among Chennai children is gingival type. The papillary penetrating type of frenal attachment decreases with age. The dentists should correlate the age of the child and type of frenal attachment and morphological variations during their clinical examination to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment.