Influential factors and methods of evaluating the gingival biotype

Gingival biotypes are used to describe the morphological characteristics of periodontal tissue. According to thickness, the gingiva can be divided into thin and thick gingival biotypes. The gingival biotype has a wide range of influential factors and can be measured by various methods. In the process of oral treatment, to achieve good therapeutic effects and obtain a clear prognosis, it is particularly important to study the gingival biotype. This article reviews the influential factors and methods for assessing the gingival biotype. The results of literature review show that, factors influencing the gingival biotype include individual factors related to sex, age and ethnicity and oral soft and hard tissue char-acteristics related to crown shape, tooth position, alveolar bone thickness, keratinized gingival width and gingival papilla height. Gingival hypertrophy mainly occurs in young males and in people with square and round crowns, thicker alveolar bones and wider keratinized gingiva. With the development of methods for measuring the gingival biotype ranging from the traditional direct observation method, direct measurement methods and periodontal exploration methods to cone beam computed tomography and ultrasound have increased the accuracy of these measurements.