Gingival Phenotype and Dental Crowding in Pediatric Patients
Recruiting now
Conditions studied: Crowding, Tooth, Gingival Diseases
In brief
The periodontal phenotype influences treatment outcomes across dental specialties, as tissues of different thickness respond differently to chemical, bacterial, and mechanical insults. In pediatric patients, understanding the gingival phenotype is particularly relevant: a thin phenotype may predispose to dehiscence, fenestration, and gingival recession-especially at the mandibular incisors-when tooth movement exceeds the biological limits of the bony housing. During the mixed dentition phase, significant changes in soft and hard tissues affect tooth position and periodontal stability, making early phenotype assessment essential. Interceptive orthodontics can reduce the long-term risk of mucogingival defects; early identification of a thin biotype allows for preventive strategies, including soft tissue grafting before critical orthodontic movements. No studies have examined the association between dental crowding severity and periodontal phenotype in children. Adult data remain inconsistent: Kaya et al. found no correlation between phenotype and skeletal malocclusion, while Kong et al. reported a site-specific association between thin biotype and skeletal Class I/III at the mandibular central incisor. No predictive model exists for periodontal risk related to severe crowding in childhood. This study aims to assess the periodontal phenotype in pediatric patients across different stages of dental transition and to investigate a possible association between a thin periodontal biotype and severe dental crowding.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07205172
- Run by
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
- People needed
- 180
- Starts
- 2025-12-16
- Expected to finish
- 2027-04-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-05-26
Who can join
Age: 5 and older, up to 16. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Pediatric patients attending the Pediatric Dentistry and/or Orthodontics clinic (consultation and/or outpatient appointment).
- Parents and/or legal guardians have signed the informed consent for participation in the study.
- Age between 5 and 16 years.
- Clinical dentition criteria by group:
- Group 1 (Primary Dentition): Presence in the mandibular arch of deciduous teeth from canine to canine. Group 2 (Early Mixed Dentition): Presence in the mandibular arch of at least two permanent mandibular incisors, fully erupted (incisal edge at occlusal level) or partially erupted (≥50% of the crown), with no clinical attachment loss, and healthy gingiva or mild gingivitis (Gingival Index, GI ≤ 1). Group 3 (Late Mixed Dentition): Presence in the mandibular arch of all four permanent mandibular incisors fully erupted (incisal edge at occlusal level), with no clinical attachment loss, and healthy gingiva or mild gingivitis (GI ≤
- . Group 4 (Permanent Dentition): Presence in the mandibular arch of all four permanent mandibular incisors fully erupted (incisal edge at occlusal level), with no clinical attachment loss, and healthy gingiva or mild gingivitis (GI ≤ 1).
You may not qualify if…
- Patient-related:
- Parents and/or legal guardians have not signed the informed consent.
- Patients who are not sufficiently cooperative to allow a routine dental examination.
- Non-cooperative patients, including those with special needs.
- Children with systemic diseases or undergoing medication that affects gingival tissues.
- Patients who have already undergone orthodontic treatment or are currently undergoing orthodontic treatment.
- Tooth-related:
- Presence of dental agenesis or dental anomalies.
- Dental sites with mucogingival problems.
Where it is running
- Clinica Odontostomatologica - Fondazione Policlinico IRCSS A. Gemelli — Roma, Italy (enrolling)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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