Dimensions of Periodontium (Biotype Versus Phenotype) – A Literature Review

Clinical appearance of normal gingival tissue reflects the underlying structure of epithelium lamina propria and alveolar bone. The term lsquogingival phenotypersquo refers to the quality of soft tissue profile surrounding the tooth whereas the term lsquoperiodontal phenotypersquo includes the underlying bone morphology as well. Gingival and periodontal phenotype has a significant impact on the outcome of restorative and regenerative therapy. The disparity in disease progression treatment outcome and prognosis is possibly because of the difference in tissue response when subjected to various inflammatory traumatic or surgical insults. Evaluation of periodontal phenotype is an important parameter in establishing patient expectations in many complex esthetic procedures by allowing the clinician to predict therapeutic outcome. By understanding the nature of different biotypes and phenotypes clinician can employ appropriate periodontal therapy and minimize unwanted treatment outcomes. The gingival and periodontal phenotypes have been studied by various authors in the past years using various non-invasive and invasive methods but few terminologies and their differences are not well defined in the periodontal literature. This review paper highlights the difference between gingival and periodontal biotype and phenotype general aspects of various tissue morphotypes methods to assess gingival and periodontal tissues response of various tissues to different treatment modalities techniques to improve tissue quality and its clinical significance.