The term midline diastema in dental science refers to the space or

gaps found or located in the midline of the dental arch. 

 

It is

majorly used in reference to the tooth located the maxillary or simply the upper arch, even

though midline spacing can also be spotted or  present in the

mandibular arch.

 

Now, let's go to the etiologic factors of a midline DIASTEMA

 

Etiology in pathological terms means the causes or reason behind the onset of a particular disease.

 

Midline diastemas could be easily spotted in  various conditions such as the ones explained below

 

 Some of the common well-known conditions leading to

the emergence of a midline diastema in a human dentition are as follows:

 

1. Deciduous dentition or milk teeth dentition

 

2. Ugly duckling stage, a mixed dentition stage preceding the eruption of the

permanent maxillary canines

 

3. Abnormal frenal attachments (highly attached frenulum)

 

4. Presence of Microdontia condition (peg-lateral incisors)

 

5. Presence of a mesiodens( a supernumerary tooth located between the  maxillary central incisors mostly associated with permanent dentitions)

 

6. Congenitally missing teeth (mostly maxillary lateral incisors)

 

7. Abnormal habits that effect on the normal arrangements of dentition (tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, lip biting and so on)

 

8. Facial trauma, resulting to tooth loss in the incisor region

 

9. Hereditary and inheritant genetic makeup

 

10. Racial predisposition especially in negroids people of Africa.

 

The presence of a midline diastema in the deciduous

dentition is a healthy sign that indicates

the availability of adequate amount of space for the

eruption of the permanent teeth.

 

Transient midline diastemas may be spotted during the eruptive stages of  the mixed dentition stage.

 

The eruption of the permanent maxillary canines lead

to their automatic closure and hence it is referred to as a temporary maloclussion stage.

 

The occurrence of midline diastemas has a familial antecedence and sometimes racial

predisposition. 

 

The Negroid group of human race shows the

highest incidence of midline diastemas atleast for now.

 

It may also be perceived from certain angles as a inherited trait, when its presence

noticeable in one or both of the biological parents as well as in

their progeny.

 

 A midline diastema may also be observed due to the

presence of tooth material arch length inequality or discrepancy ratio.

This is noticed rarely in maxillary lateral incisors known as peg laterals as localized microdontia), relative microdontia or even congenital absence of the lateral incisors, presence of

supernumerary( additional malformed tooth)  in the midline of the maxillary centrals or other midline dental pathologies.

 

Abnormal frenal attachment; a highly attached

maxillary labial frenum, which may or may not be

thick and fibrous, can deny the normal closure or approximation of the two upper central incisors.

 

 Abnormal pressure habits have also been

reported to be part of reasons for the occurrence of midline diastemas.

 

Thumb/finger sucking, lip sucking and the abnormal anterior

tongue thrust habits have been often

being said to be the reasons for the appearance of midline diastemas. Mouth breathers due to obstructions and other factors

may also present with a gap between their central incisors.

 

A combination of the aforementioned mentioned causes may also be part of the contributing factors for the occurrence of a midline DIASTEMA. 

 

 

Thanks for your attention and following up the post till this juncture. 

 

To avoid lengthy write-up, the post would be concluded in the subsequent posts. 

 

Thanks a lot and Happy Sereying to everyone.