Success in Gingival Recession Coverage: Prognostic Indicators From Private Practice

Area of Science:

• Periodontology
• Dental Surgery
• Regenerative Dentistry

Background:

• Gingival recession affects a significant portion of the population, leading to aesthetic concerns and increased risk of root surface caries and abrasion.
• Successful root coverage is crucial for restoring function and aesthetics, but predictability varies based on defect characteristics and patient factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key patient and treatment parameters associated with successful root coverage in periodontal defects.
• Define success as achieving 70% root coverage for Miller Class I-II/RT1 defects and 50% for Miller Class III/RT2 defects.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of dental records from patients undergoing surgical treatment for gingival recessions.
• Collected data included general health, smoking status, recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), keratinized tissue (KT) width, and clinical attachment loss (CAL).
• Logistic regression and linear mixed-effects models were employed to determine correlations with treatment success up to 180 months.

Main Results:

• Smoking, Miller Class II/RT1, Miller Class III/RT2 defects, and lateral teeth were negatively associated with successful root coverage.
• Canines and first premolars demonstrated a positive association with successful coverage.
• Initial RD, RW, and Miller Class III/RT2 defects significantly influenced greater CAL gain, KT gain, and reduced residual RD (RRD).

Conclusions:

• Long-term root coverage success is influenced by smoking status, defect classification (Miller Class II-III/RT1-2), and tooth location.
• Canine and first premolar teeth are more favorable for root coverage procedures.
• Initial recession depth and width, along with defect severity, positively impact clinical attachment and keratinized tissue gain and reduce residual recession.