2023 Volume 61 Issue 3 Pages 93-100
To contribute to decision-making regarding resection of the upper labial frenum, we conducted a oneyear follow-up study on 197 children aged three to five years who attended kindergarten or nursery school to observe the changes in the morphology and the position of attachment of the upper labial frenum. The following results were obtained.
1. Regarding the incidence of transition from Type I to other types of the upper labial frenum depending on the age at the beginning of the study, the incidence of the transition from Types-disease to Type I was significantly higher in the period from five to six years of age.
2. Among the children experiencing the transition from Type I to Types-disease, the proportion of those experiencing the transition to Type II was the highest (73.3%), followed by the transition to Type III (20%). No transition to Type V or VI was observed.
3. Among the children experiencing the transition from Types-disease to Type I, the proportion of those experiencing the transition from Type III was the highest (41.7%), followed by the transition from Type II (37.5%) in all age groups. No transition from Type VI was observed.
The presence or absence of transition from Type I to Types-disease and the details of transition suggest that a transition stage exists during the period from five to six years of age. Moreover, mutual transition among Types I, II, and III occurred relatively frequently, whereas the transition from Type I to Types V and VI was rarely observed. Because Types V and VI during the deciduous dentition period can be the cause of median diastema and other disorders at the time of permanent anterior tooth eruption, it is important to provide treatment while taking into consideration the possibility of the effects of these abnormalities on the development of oral functions.
