Gingival Zenith Aesthetics: A comparative study between Males and Females

Gender-specific variations in gingival zenith aesthetics have gained significant attention recently as individuals increasingly seek aesthetic dental treatments to enhance their smiles. It is well-documented that males and females exhibit differences in craniofacial anatomy, including variations in the dimensions and proportions of facial structures. This study aims to access gender-based variation in the Gingival Zenith Position, particularly in the lateral incisors and canines. A total of 51 medical students (19 males and 32 females) from multan medical and dental college, Pakistan, aged 20 to 25 years participated in this cross-sectional study. The inclusion criteria included complete maxillary anterior teeth, non-restored maxillary anterior teeth, no anterior crowding or spacing, no signs of excessive incisal attrition, and no gingival recession, gingival overgrowth, or altered passive eruption. Subjects with missing or artificial prosthesis, restored anterior teeth, presence of spacing between the teeth, crowding, and preexisting periodontal disease like gingival recession, gingival overgrowth were excluded from the study. Males displayed higher GZP measurements compared to females, with mean values for males and females being 0.62 ± 0.08 and 0.57 ± 0.07 respectively for right lateral incisors, and 0.61 ± 0.09 and 0.56 ± 0.08 for left lateral incisors. These differences were statistically significant with p-values of 0.04 and 0.05, indicating a clear divergence in the medial-lateral positioning of the gingiva across genders. This study indicated a notable gender-based variation in the GZP, particularly in the lateral incisors and canines.