PALATO GINGIVAL GROOVE;

Introduction: The palatogingival groove (PGG) is an anomaly which considered as a developmental defect. In 1908, this anomaly was first of all described by Black. According to him this palatogingival groove starts just beneath the cingulum and travels towards the apex from cementoenamel junction. Palatogingival groove presents variation in depth and length along the root. Objectives: To determine frequency of palatogingival groove in maxillary lateral incisors, as early diagnosis can prevent the development of caries and periodontitis. Study Design: Cross sectional study Setting: 500 adult patients were examined (1000 maxillary lateral incisors) which includes both genders aged 20-45 years, recruited from Operative Department, Ibn-e-Sina Hospital Multan. Period: Six months from Jan to June 2017. Material & Method: In patients oral cavity both right and left side were inspected and the groove extension was assorted into, coronal grooves (coronal to cement enamel junction), and apical grooves (extended to the root, beyond the cement enamel junction). Results: The PGG prevalence rate in the population has been reported to be between 2.8% and 8.5%. Conclusion: The frequency of palatogingival groove was 9%. Bilateralism of the PGGs was calculated and was found to be 62.2%. 30% caries was present in all cases. Palatogingival groove can cause marginal periodontitis, pulpal necrosis and apical periodontitis. Early diagnosis can prevent the development of caries and periodontitis.