The development and maturation of the supracrestal fibers in nonhuman primates.

The transseptal fibers appear to develop independently in adjacent teeth and course toward each other meeting at the midline. Correction of rotations should be accomplished if possible before the teeth are in clinical occlusion. The thickness of the band of transeptal fibers depends on the anatomy of the interproximal space. The fibers are not continuous but interlace at the midline. In disease the transseptal fibers are destroyed first at the midline and appear to reorganize at that point. A thick fiber bundle was demonstrated to run buccolingually in the interdental space which served to connect the buccal and lingual gingiva. It was independent of the dentogingival fibersfibers. Circumferential fibers which extend from the interproximal to the labial and lingual gingiva were also noted. Poor hygiene which contributes to the formation of gingivitis and in extreme cases periodontitis causes the lysing of the gingival fibers. This study does not answer the problem of why certain rotations reoccur even after surgical transsection of the fibers. Further morphologic studies in a time sequence during rotation correction and retention are needed to determine which fibers play an exact role in the rotational relapse phenomenon.