ABSTRACT
One of the central components of periodontal therapy is the improvement of esthetics. The presence and appearance of interdental papillae plays an important role of periodontal esthetics. The aim of the present study was to investigate how immediate provisional restoration preserve the shape of interdental papilla around the extraction socket and the width of bucco-lingual of gingiva. Another aim was to investigate the change in the interdental papilla and the amount of vertical bone fill of a extraction socket in relation to the interdental alveolar bone levels adjacent the alveolar socket. A total of 19 patients (11 male, 8 female, mean age of 50.57+/-8.16), who visited the Department of Periodontology, Pusan National University and had more than one anterior tooth scheduled to be extracted due to an advanced periodontal disease were included in the present study. After initial periodontal therapy, the extracted teeth were reshaped of the root and placed into the socket followed by splinting with adjacent teeth with self-curing resin. The width of bucco-lingual of gingiva and interdental papilla height were measured at baseline, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 month and the periapical radiographic examination were taken at baseline, 6 and 12month following the extraction. The amount of vertical bone fill in the extraction socket were calculated. At 12 months following the extraction, the changes in mesial and distal interdental papilla and the width of bucco-lingual showed -1.06+/-0.48mm, -0.84+/-0.50mm, -1.50+/-0.96mm, relatively. The positional change in the interproximal papillae was significantly associated with the interdental bone level adjacent to the extraction socket(p=0.028). The higher the interproximal bone level adjacent the extraction socket, the greater the amount of bone fill in the extraction socket(p<0.001). In conclusion, it was thought that immediate provisional restoration could minimize the loss of the width of bucco-lingual and interproximal papillae around the extraction socket. In addition, the higher the interproximal bone level adjacent the extraction socket, the greater the amount of bone fill and the smaller the reduction of papillary height around the extraction socket.