ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HIGH FRENAL ATTACHMENT AND MIDLINE DIASTEMA IN AL-LATRUN MILITARY HOSPITAL

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the link between high frenal attachment and midline diastema in a cohort of Jordanian patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study at Al-Latrun Military Hospital-King Hussein Medical City, between March 2025 and March 2026. Demographics (age, gender) and clinical-related characteristics (habits, diastema, and frenal type) were collected and analyzed using R studio 4.2.2. Results: This study included 200 patients, 68 (34%) showing midline diastema with a median age of 21 vs 22, p > 0.2. Papillary (38%) and gingival (33%) were the most prevalent forms in the non-diastema group. Frenal type between groups was significant (p0.05). Papilla-penetrating frenal attachment was substantially linked to lower risks of diastema than gingival type, according to multivariable logistic regression (OR=0.26, 95% CI: 0.10–0.64, p=0.004). Compared to patients with other frenal types, those with papillary and papilla-penetrating attachments had noticeably larger diastema gaps. Conclusion: The incidence of midline diastema was found to be significantly correlated with specific frenal attachment types. The most common attachments in people with diastema were papillary and papilla-penetrating. After controlling certain variables, papilla-penetrating attachments were linked to decreased probabilities of diastema. Another significant contributing factor was periodontal health, with gingivitis being more common in the diastema group.