A retrospective clinical, radiographic and microbiological study of periodontal conditions of teeth with and without crowns.

The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the periodontal conditions of teeth with fixed crowns that had been in place from 3 to 5 years before the study was conducted. Forty individuals were recalled for a follow-up visit. Full-mouth clinical examinations were carried out and Visible Plaque Index (VPI), Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), Probing Pocket Depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were assessed in 6 sites per tooth. Parallel radiographs were also taken and blindly analyzed by a digital caliper (distance between the apex and the bone crest). BANA tests were performed. A contra-lateral sound tooth was considered the control. Mean values were obtained and Wilcoxon and paired sample t tests were used to compare the test and control sites. Crowns had a mean VPI value of 30.42% as compared to 49.17% for sound teeth. The GBI was 33.33% and 26.25% for test and control teeth respectively. Assessment of PPD revealed values of 2.30 and 2.14 mm, and assessment of CAL revealed averages of 2.02 and 1.89 mm for test and control teeth respectively. The mean values for radiographic distances were 12.73 and 13.67 mm, and for the BANA test, 67.50 and 50.00 for sound and crowned teeth, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed for all parameters except for CAL and for the BANA test. It may be concluded that, with the methods used in the present study, crowns may be associated with more signs of inflammation, however not with periodontal breakdown.