Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2024 May 12;14(1):10840.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-61356-0.

The knowledge regarding the impacts and management of black triangles among dental professionals and laypeople

Mahmoud K Al-Omiri  1   2 , Danial Waleed Ahmad Atieh  3 , Motasum Abu-Awwad  4 , Abdullah A Al Nazeh  5 , Salem Almoammar  5 , Saeed Awod Bin Hassan  6 , Abdallah Ahmed Aljbab  7 , Mohammed A Alfaifi  8 , Naji M Shat  9 , Edward Lynch  10
Affiliations
Observational Study

The knowledge regarding the impacts and management of black triangles among dental professionals and laypeople

Mahmoud K Al-Omiri et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding impacts, causes and management of black triangles (BT) among participants from different educational backgrounds including dental students, dentists and laypeople. This descriptive cross-sectional observational research included 435 participants who comprised 4 groups: pre-clinical (3rd year) dental students, clinical (4th and 5th year) dental students, dentists, and laypeople. A constructed self-reported questionnaire was utilized to assess participants' demographic data and their knowledge of the impacts, causes and management of BT. The VAS scale was used to assess participants' ratings for the impacts of BT on esthetics, with 0 meaning no impact and 10 meaning very severe negative impacts. The most reported treatments for BT were "cannot be treated" 99.3% and "non-surgical periodontal treatment" 67.1%. Meanwhile, the least reported was "modify the porcelain" 41.8%. The most reported cause of BT was "periodontal disease" 85.1%. However, the least reported were "parafunction" and "deep implants" 33.1% each. Dental professionals had better knowledge of the causes (t = 8.189, P < 0.001) and management (t = 8.289, P < 0.001) of BT than the non-dental participants. The dentists had the best knowledge, while the laypeople had the least knowledge of the causes (F = 62.056, P < 0.001) and treatment (F = 46.120, P < 0.001) of BT. The knowledge of the causes (t = 0.616, P = 0.538) and treatment (t = 1.113, P = 0.266) for BT was not significantly different between males and females. Age was not significantly related to the total knowledge about the causes (r = -0.034, P = 0.475) or treatment (r = -0.034, P = 0.482) for BT. Dental professionals had better knowledge of the impacts, causes and management of BT than the non-dental participants. The dentists were the best, while the laypeople were the worst in this regard. Age and gender had no relationships with the knowledge of causes or management of BT.

Keywords: Appearance; Black triangles; Gingival embrasure; Interdental papillae; Knowledge; Satisfaction; Smile.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Gonzalez MK, Almeida AL, Greghi SL, Pegoraro LF, Mondelli J, Moreno T. Interdental papillary house: A new concept and guide for clinicians. Int. J. Periodontics Restor. Dent. 2011;31(6):e87–93. - PubMed
    1. Sharma AA, Park JH. Esthetic considerations in interdental papilla: Remediation and regeneration. J. Esthet. Restor. Dent. 2010;22(1):18–28. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8240.2009.00307.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sharma P, Sharma P. Dental smile esthetics: The assessment and creation of the ideal smile. Semin. Orthod. 2012;18:193–201. doi: 10.1053/j.sodo.2012.04.004. - DOI
    1. Pugliese F, Hess R, Palomo L. Black triangles: Preventing their occurrence, managing them when prevention is not practical. Semin. Orthod. 2019;25(2):175–186. doi: 10.1053/j.sodo.2019.05.006. - DOI
    1. Tarnow DP, Magner AW, Fletcher P. The effect of the distance from the contact point to the crest of bone on the presence or absence of the interproximal dental papilla. J. Periodontol. 1992;63(12):995–996. doi: 10.1902/jop.1992.63.12.995. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types