Materials and methods: The study sample included 32 adult patients who had fixed partial dentures made by post graduate students from government dental college and hospital Srinagar, Kashmir. From each study participant, two paired sites, one for the abutment and one for the matched non-abutment teeth, were selected. The plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth and locations of the crown margins were assessed and recorded by one calibrated examiner.

Results: The abutment teeth scored significantly higher plaque and gingival indices and greater probing pocket depth than non-abutment teeth (p-value <0.05). In addition, the abutment teeth scored greatest mean values of the clinical parameters in subjects who were 46 year-old or older and those who had their functioning fixed partial dentures for more than 1.5 years. The teeth with supra-gingivally placed crown margins had significantly higher mean values of plaque index, gingival index and probing pocket depth than teeth with sub-gingival crown margins (p-value <0.05). The results of this study indicated that in subjects with fixed partial dentures, the abutment teeth are more prone to periodontal inflammation than the non-abutment teeth. Additionally, the individual’s age, duration of insertion of fixed partial den-tures and location of the crown margins affect the periodontal health of the abutments.