Comparative Study of Two Root Coverage Procedures for Localized Gingival Recessions on Lower Anterior Teeth Using...

Area of Science:

• Periodontology
• Oral Surgery
• Regenerative Dentistry

Background:

• Gingival recession is a common condition causing aesthetic and functional issues.
• Effective root coverage techniques are crucial for treating gingival recession.
• Partially de-epithelialized connective tissue graft (PE-CTG) is a promising material for root coverage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of two recipient site preparation techniques for PE-CTG in treating localized gingival recession on lower anterior teeth.
• To evaluate root coverage and keratinized tissue gain following the two surgical approaches.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective case series involving 18 patients (20 teeth) with lower anterior tooth recession.
• Two groups: tPECTG (supraperiosteal tunneling) and vPECTG (vestibular incision subperiosteal tunnel access).
• PE-CTG harvested from the hard palate; root coverage and keratinized tissue (KT) measured pre- and post-surgery (6 months).

Main Results:

• Mean root coverage was 89.01% overall (tPECTG: 87.85%, vPECTG: 89.78%).
• Average KT gain was 3.48 mm (tPECTG: 3.94 mm, vPECTG: 3.17 mm).
• No statistically significant differences were observed between the tPECTG and vPECTG groups for root coverage or KT gain (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Both tPECTG and vPECTG techniques are effective for root coverage and increasing keratinized gingival width.
• The vPECTG technique may be easier to perform than tPECTG.
• Both methods maintained the mucogingival junction and increased keratinized gingival width.