Assessing Gingival Thickness in Pre-Clinical Models Using an Ultrasound Device.

Objectives: Assessment of gingival thickness plays an integral part in the treatment planning of various dental disciplines. To date, the repeatability and reproducibility of this assessment are still challenging given the lack of standardised, objective methods. This study is aiming to investigate a novel ultrasound device in pre-clinical models, simultaneously assessing the most suitable model for repeatability and reproducibility.
Methods: The study involved a novel portable ultrasound device with a plastic contra-angled head and 1.5mm probe tip diameter. The study was carried out in four pre-clinical models: ten porcine mandibles (Model 1), five embalmed cadavers (Model 2), two fresh-frozen cadavers (Model 3), and six gingival tissue samples from fresh-frozen cadavers (Model 4). Two examiners performed repeated measurements over markings made on the attached gingiva of each model. Intra-examiner (repeatability) and inter-examiner (reproducibility) agreement between paired measurements was assessed by Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and displayed in Bland-Altman plots.
Results: CCC values for intra-examiner and inter-examiner agreement were: Model 1: 0.840 (95%CI, 0.817-0.862) and 0.484 (95%CI, 0.428-0.539), Model 2: 0.863 (95%CI, 0.820-0.907) and 0.279 (95%CI, 0.145-0.412), Model 3: 0.641 (95%CI, 0.459-0.823) and 0.494 (95%CI, 0.282-0.706), Model 4: 0.852 (95%CI, 0.768-0.936) and 0.882 (95%CI, 0.815-0.950), respectively. The repeatability of the measurements was acceptable across all four models, however, the reproducibility varied across the models. Model 4 showed the best repeatability and reproducibility.
Conclusions: Overall, the novel ultrasound device portrayed a good potential as a non-invasive tool for objective gingival thickness assessment, particularly in harvested soft tissue samples.