Treatment of gingival recessions by guided tissue regeneration and coronally advanced flap

Gingival recession refers to the denudation of root surface caused by apical migration of the gingival margin as a result of destruction of the covering gingival tissue of the affected area. It is among the most frequent problems presented by periodontal patients and may have different etiologies and sequels. So far, several techniques have been devised and tested to treat gingival recession. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of using a GTR resorbable collagen membrane in conjunction with coronally advanced flap (CAF) as compared to CAF alone in the treatment of Miller's Class I & II gingival recessions. Seven patients took part in the study, each providing either two or four facial recessions of 3 mm. to 6 mm., totaling 11 pairs of gingival recessions. The two paired sites within each patient were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments mentioned above. Prior to and six months after treatments, the following clinical parameters were measured and recorded: recession depth; probing pocket depth; clinical attachment level; width of keratinized gingiva; and width of recession. After six months, recession depth showed a mean reduction of 67.88% and 57.42% in the "GTR + CAF" and "CAF alone" groups, respectively. The mean difference between the groups was 1+/-0.33 mm (P=0.03). The results of this study indicate that Miller's Class I & II gingival recessions are amenable to treatment using the GTR technique with satisfactory outcome.