Histologic evaluation of root coverage obtained with GTR in humans: a case report

The purpose of this study was to histologically evaluate four teeth with recession defects that were treated with guided tissue regeneration (GTR). The amount of root coverage obtained ranged from 16.7% to 50.0%. In one of the defects treated, new bone was formed but none of the new bone was coronal to the original gingival margin. Additionally, in this one case new cementum and connective tissue attachment was formed. However, because the new bone, new cementum, and new connective tissue were not coronal to the original gingival margin, this result could not be classified as regeneration. The vast majority of the attachment in this defect was long junctional epithelial attachment in the portion of the recession defect covered by the root-coverage procedure. In the other three defects treated, there was a loss of bone. All of the root coverage obtained was a long junctional epithelial attachment in three of the four defects. The results of this study do not show regeneration in any of the four defects treated.