Prevalence and Pattern of Labial Frenal Attachments in Adult Nigerians - a Pilot Study

Introduction The frenum is a band of mucous membrane which connects the lips and cheeks to the alveolar mucosa, underlying periosteum, or the gingiva with a primary function of stabilizing the lips and tongue. There are variations of frenal attachment and morphologies, some associated with health, others resulting to loss of periodontium. This study therefore aims to assess the various attachments and morphologies within our study population. Materials and Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Oral Diagnosis and Periodontology clinics of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba among participants who reported to both clinics. Convenience sampling method was employed in participants’ selection, and interviewer-administered questionnaires were used for data collection and documentation of socio-demographic variables, and findings of intra-oral examination. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional Health Research Ethics Committee and informed consent was obtained from each participant. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 27. P values < 0.05 were statistically significant. Results The study comprised 337 participants, 203 (60.2%) were females. Mean age was 34.6±15.2 years. The frenal attachment distribution in the maxilla was mucosal 204 (60.5%), gingival 105 (31.2%), papillary 23 (6.8%), and papillary penetrating 5 (1.5%);while in the mandible, 233 (69.1%), 92 (27.3%), 9 (2.7%) and 3 (0.9%) presented with mucosal, gingival, papillary, and papillary penetrating frenal attachment respectively. Simple frenum was the most prevalent frenum morphology in the maxilla [328 (97.3%)] and the mandible [321 (95.2%)], followed by trifid frenum in both maxilla [5 (1.5%)] and mandible [4 (1.2%)]. Diastema was present in 27.6% in maxilla and 11.0% in the mandible. Conclusion In this study, mucosal type was predominant among all age groups. Males presented more with gingival and mucosal type of frenal insertion, while females presented more with papillary type of frenal insertion. Papillary and/or papillary penetrating were significantly associated with the presence of diastema.