A study on the Relationship of Maxillary Central Incisors to Incisive Papilla in Nepalese Population

Introduction: When natural teeth lost, it becomes difficult to arrange the teeth in their original position in the complete denture. Variety of guides has been suggested for arrangement of artificial teeth. Incisive papilla is recognized as an important landmark to locate the maxillary anterior teeth position in complete denture fabrication. The objective of this study was to find the relation between the distance of incisive papilla and maxillary central incisor in Nepalese population which maintains the natural teeth position in removable prosthesis and guides the laboratory procedures. Material and method: Maxillary stone cast were collected from 100 Nepalese subject comprising 50 males and 50 females. Incisive papilla (IP) was identified in cast and marked by HB bonded lead pencil. Computer scanner imaging technique with Photoshop was used for all dental cast measurement. A screen caliper was used to measure the distance from center and posterior border of incisive papilla to maxillary central incisors (MCI) on scanned images of dental cast. Student’s ttest was used to analyze the data. Results: The result showed that the mean distance from MCI to center of IP was 8.23mm and from MCI to posterior border of IP was 11.49mm. Distance between the center and posterior border of incisive papilla to maxillary central incisors were statically significant (p<0.05) in both male and female. Conclusion: It was found that there is a relationship between the maxillary central incisors and incisive papilla aiding in their antero posterior position. Gender has significant effect on it .In males, the average distance from center of IP to MCI is 8.52mm and from posterior border of IP and MCI is 11.96mm. In females, the average distance from center of IP to MCI is 7.94mm and from posterior border of IP to MCI 11.02mm. The result of this study can apply as a starting point in preliminary location of maxillary incisors during fabrication of removable prosthesis.