Altered Passive Eruption among Patients Visiting Dental Outpatient Department in a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The eruption of teeth is considered to be a continuous phenomenon. Two types of eruption are possible namely, active and passive eruption. Failure in passive eruption (by the apical movement of gingiva from the enamel surface) generally results in a clinical condition known as altered passive eruption. It can result in the shortened crown height of a tooth and an esthetically unpleasant situation i.e., excessive gingival display or gummy smile. The main motto of this study was to find out the prevalence of altered passive eruption and associated gingival biotypes in adult patients visiting for dental treatment in tertiary centers along with strategically placed outreach centers. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Dentistry, Dhulikhel Hospital, and four outreach centers of the same hospital. The study was conducted from October 2022 to April 2023 after obtaining the ethical approval. Convenience sampling was done. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 165 patients, the prevalence of altered passive eruption was 21 (12.72%) (7.62-17.78 at 95% Confidence Interval). Furthermore, among 21 patients, the altered passive eruption was seen in the thick biotype patients in 16 (76.19%) and thin biotype patients in 5 (23.81%). Conclusions: The prevalence of altered passive eruption appeared to be equivalent when compared with the previous studies.