Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.

In humans, the term is most commonly applied to an open space between the upper incisors (front teeth).

Oversized Labial Frenulum: Diastema is sometimes caused or exacerbated by the action of a labial frenulum (the tissue connecting the lip to the gum), causing high mucosal attachment and less attached keratinized tissue.

Diastema treatment options can differ from one patient to another, but generally it is treated by orthodontics,[5] or composite fillings, or a combination of veneers or crowns.

[6] As early as this time period, the gap between the front teeth, especially in women, was associated with lustful characteristics.

[7] Thus, the implication in describing "the gap-toothed wife of Bath" is that she is a middle-aged woman with insatiable lust.

[7] In Ghana, Namibia and Nigeria, as well as throughout many communities in Kenya, diastemata are regarded as being attractive and a sign of fertility, and some people have even had them created through cosmetic dentistry.