The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of age on changes in the sulcus depth of healthy gingival young permanent teeth. We investigated 0.5 mm of the sulcus depth of children,99 boys and 132 girls aged 5-16, with respect to the mesial, center and distal side from the labial or buccal side of the maxillary and mandibular first molar, incisors. The results indicated that age and eruption effected changes in the sulcus depth as follows.
1. The sulcus depth developed a tendency to be deep on the mesial, center and distal side with increasing age and eruption, until 12-13 years of age in the molars and until about 10 years of age in the incisors.
2. The results of this survay suggest that the sulcus depth in children with healthy gingiva was 1.39±0.37 mm on the center and 1.50±0.37 mm on the mediodistal side in the maxillary first molar,1.16±0.46 mm on the center and 1.39±0.41 mm on the mediodistal side in the mandibular first molar, at 12-13 years of age. Its was 0.92±0.31 mm on the center and 1.27±0.55 mm on the mediodistal side in the maxillary central incisor of 10 years of age,0.69±0.28 mm on the center and 1.13±0.41 mm n the mediodistal side in the mandibular central incisor at 10-11 years of age. The sulcus depth woith healthy gingival was 0.93±0.39 mm on the center and 1.24±0.42 mm on the mediodistal side in the maxillary lateral incisor at 10 years of age,0.75±0.34 mm on the center and 1.17±0.43 mm on mediodistal side in the mandibular lateral incisor at 10-11 years of age.
3. The Center sulcus depth was shallowest on the mesial and distal side for the entire observation term.
4. Our findings suggested that sulcus depth of healthy gingival young permanent teeth were less than 3.0 mm.