The particularities of anatomical shape and structure of normal interdental and interradicular septa

Abstract

Introduction: Changes in the anatomical structure of interdental and interradicular septa may consist the basic signs of development of different pathologies. Their different shape in dependance of their anatomical situation on dental arch influences differently the apearence of periodontal disease. Also, there are some anatomical particularities that may be treated like being pathology, and vice versa, there are initial changes that should be treated like signs of a specific pathology, but doctors neglect them. Purpose and Obiectives: Studying the anatomical types of shapes of normal interdental and interrad icular septa on different groups of teeth, factors influencing the change of their form and structure and also the initial radiologic signs of periodontal disease. Masterials and methods: The project is based on 280 radiographs of both normal and affected septa of people of different age and sex. Results: There have been identified four major forms of interdental septa: the rounded form, the crescent form, the lance shaped septa, the dissected form. It is also important that in the dissected form, the points of the septa may not be at the same level, in this way results another type which is tread shaped septa. Among the 280 radiograms, just 40 of them were found presenting normal septa, without pathological changes, which consist 14.2%. Consequently, among all the radiograms presenting normal septa there have been detected 156 (46.98 %) of the crescent septa, 79 (23.79 %) of lance shaped septa, 95 (28.61 %) of rounded septa and 2 (0.6 %) of septa having dissected shape. The major factors that influence the shape of septa are: the size and convexity of the crowns of adjacent teeth, the anatomical position of teeth on the alveolar process, the eruption degree of teeth, the thickness of bucal and oral alveolar plates, the anatomy of dental roots, the cervical outline and the relative position of cementoenamel junction. Conclusion: The anatomical form of interdental septa determines the thickness of the cribriform plates, fact that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of a specific pathology. The rarefaction of the radiologic design in the marginal region of the septa is an initial, very important sign of the periodontal disease. There are some features of the radiologic image of normal septa that represent their anatomical particularities, and they show no pathological changes.