Association of Upper Lip Coverage with Gingival Inflammation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: As dryness is reported to be associated with inflammatory conditions in different body parts, incomplete coverage by upper lip may be responsible for gingival inflammation. The objective of the study was to assess status of gingival inflammation with reference to upper lip coverage. Materials and methods: Patients with plaque-induced gingivitis consisting of 38 individuals with incomplete upper lip coverage (ILC) and 38 individuals with complete upper lip coverage (CLC) were enrolled. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded in whole dentition excluding third molars. Bleeding/plaque ratio was also calculated for different regions of dentition. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine association between BOP at labial sites of maxillary anterior teeth and upper lip coverage. Results: Significantly higher PI, GI, BOP scores and BOP/plaque ratio were noted at labial sites of maxillary anterior teeth in ILC group as compared to CLC group (p=.001, p=.011, p=.004 and p=.016 respectively). Significantly higher scores of BOP were found at labial sites than palatal sites of ILC group (p=.003). Regression analysis revealed that maxillary anterior labial sites in ILC group were 1.51 times more likely of having BOP (adjusted odds ratio 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.03, p=.006). Conclusion: Incomplete upper lip coverage of maxillary gingiva is associated with higher periodontal inflammatory parameters at labial sites of maxillary anterior teeth.