Morphological Variations of the Maxillary Labial Frenum among Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Islam, Md. Nurul; Kawsar, Md. Ali; Chakraborty, Subodh Chandra; Mona, Afsara Nower; Zaman, Kashmira; Ahmed, Anam

doi:10.5281/zenodo.17743877

Published January 2022 | Version v1

Journal article Open

Morphological Variations of the Maxillary Labial Frenum among Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

1. Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Saphena Women's Dental College, Dhaka.
2. Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, TMSS Medical College Dental Unit, Bogra
3. Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Saphena Women's Dental College, Dhaka.
4. Lecture , Department of Prosthodontics, Saphena Women's Dental College, Dhaka.
5. Lecturer, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Saphena Women's Dental College, Dhaka.
6. Associate Professor (CC), Dept. Dental Public Health, University dental College, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Contributors

Contact person:

Islam, Md. Nurul¹

1. Associate Professor and Head, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial orthopedics, Saphena Women's Dental College, 111, DIT Road, Malibagh Dhaka, E-mail: nurul@saphena.edu.bd

Abstarct

Background: The maxillary labial frenum exhibits considerable morphological variation, which can have clinical implications for oral health, esthetics, and treatment planning. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and types of maxillary labial frenum morphology among dental students using Sewerin’s classification.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 227 dental students aged 18–25 years. Frenum morphology was assessed clinically and classified according to Sewerin’s system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The most common frenum type was the simple frenum (56.8%), followed by frenum with nodule (21.6%), double frenum (9.3%), frenum with appendix (7.9%), and rare types such as persistent tectolabial frenum, frenum with nichum, and bifid frenum together (1.8%). Six participants (2.6%) exhibited two or more variants simultaneously. The majority of participants were aged 22–25 years (74.9%).
Conclusions: Simple frenum is the predominant morphological type among dental students. Awareness of frenum variations is essential for accurate diagnosis and management in dental practice.