Periodontal and Gingival Incisor Findings in Patients with Anterior Open Bite in the Mixed Dentition

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate any association between anterior open bite and periodontal health of the front teeth during mixed dentition. We investigated the periodontal and gingival status of the teeth with dysfunctional and/or subfunctional loading in the open-bite area in 9- to 12-year-old children. Subjects and Methods: We examined 36 subjects with anterior open bite between the ages of 9 and 12 years who had presented for the first time at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Tubingen. A control group of 36 children of the same age with a physiologic incisor relationship vertical overbite and sagittal overjet were between 1 and 3 mm were compared. In addition to overjet, the Silness-Loe plaque index, the modified Loe-Silness gingival index, pocket depth and attachment loss were measured and documented at each of the four surfaces (mesial, distal, oral and vestibular) of the upper and lower incisors. Results: The subjects with anterior open bite exhibited significantly more plaque in the malocclusion area than children with a physiologic incisor relationship; the differences were statistically highly significant. The subjects with anterior open bite demonstrated slightly higher degrees of inflammation and a slight increase in periodontal pocket depths than the control group. Periodontal attachment loss was diagnosed in very few areas in both study groups, while attachment loss was slightly more frequent in those with anterior open bite. Conclusion: We observed a higher risk for caries in the malocclusion area in the late mixed dentition phase, as the subjects with anterior open bite presented significantly more plaque accumulation in the incisor area. However, no pathological periodontal anomalies have been detected so far.