Human histologic evaluation of root coverage obtained with a connective tissue with partial thickness double pedicle...

The use of a connective tissue graft combined with a pedicle graft has been proven an effective method to achieve root coverage. However, little is known about the histologic results in humans. A connective tissue with partial thickness double pedicle graft was performed on 2 teeth scheduled for extraction for prosthetic reasons. The procedures were clinically successful (100% and 83.3% root coverage). At 6 months postoperative, the teeth were extracted with conservative block sections and analyzed histologically. Two different healing patterns were seen. The first was characterized by a long junctional epithelial attachment that extended well beyond the original gingival margin and occasionally almost to the original bone level with minimal connective tissue adjacent to the tooth. The other pattern was a short junctional epithelium that stopped at the previously exposed root surface. In this pattern, there was predominately connective tissue adjacent to the tooth with some isolated areas of epithelium. No new bone or cementum was seen in any section. The use of a technique that combines a connective tissue graft with a pedicle graft can produce root coverage and a successful clinical result. However, the histological evaluation of this case report revealed that true regeneration was not seen in this study, only repair.