A 10-year longitudinal study of untreated mucogingival defects.

A study was conducted to observe the changes in areas with untreated mucogingival defects over a 10-year period. The results in this group after 4 years were previously published. Upon entering dental school, a group of 39 freshman dental students were assessed for plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, and width of keratinized gingiva in 112 sites of inadequate keratinized gingiva. Eighteen of the original 39 participants were reassessed for the same parameters in 64 sites after 10 years. The results revealed that 22 sites showed a slight increase in keratinized gingiva, 32 were unchanged, and 10 sites showed a slight decrease in keratinized gingiva. The mean width of keratinized gingiva at the beginning of the study was 1.73 +/- 0.542 mm and was 2.01 +/- 0.864 mm after 10 years. This represented a small, but statistically insignificant, increase in the width of keratinized gingiva. The Plaque Index and Gingival Index of this group at baseline and at 10 years indicated a high level of oral hygiene and gingival health. It was concluded that in the absence of gingival inflammation, areas with small amounts of keratinized gingiva may remain stable over long periods of time.