The interdental papilla, also known as the interdental gingiva, is the part of the
gums
The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health.
Structure
The gums are part of the soft tissue lin ...
(gingiva) that exists
coronal to the
free gingival margin
The free gingival margin is the interface between the sulcular epithelium and the epithelium of the oral cavity. This interface exists at the most coronal point of the gingiva, otherwise known as the crest of the marginal gingiva.
Because the s ...
on the
buccal and lingual surfaces of the
teeth
A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
. The interdental papillae fill in the area between the teeth apical to their contact areas to prevent food impaction; they assume a conical shape for the anterior teeth and a blunted shape
buccolingually for the posterior teeth.
A missing papilla is often visible as a small triangular gap between adjacent teeth. The relationship of interdental bone to the interproximal contact point between adjacent teeth is a determining factor in whether the interdental papilla will be present. If greater than 8mm exist between the interdental bone and the interproximal contact, usually no papilla will be present. If the distance is 5mm or less, then a papilla will almost always be present.
With active periodontal disease, both the marginal gingiva and attached gingiva can become enlarged, especially the interdental papillae. This enlargement results from edema occurring in the lamina propria of the tissue caused by the inflammatory response.
[Illustrated Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy, Bath-Balogh, Elsevier, 2011, page 125]
References
Gingiva
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