Coronally advanced flap with or without subepithelial connective tissue graft for the treatment of single recession : 5-year outcomes from a comparative study

Gingival recession can cause an esthetic impairment or dentin hypersensitivity due to root surface exposure to the oral cavity. These conditions may require specific surgical interventions to achieve root coverage. This controlled clinical trial on 20 subjects compared coronally advanced flap (CAF) technique and CAF plus subepithelial connective tissue graft (CTG) for the treatment of single maxillary gingival recession. Recession height (REC) and complete root coverage (CRC) were considered as primary outcomes. The residual REC was 2.90 ± 0.99 mm at baseline, 1.10 ± 0.99 mm after 1 year, and 1.15 ± 1.06 mm after 5 years in the CAF group and 2.70 ± 0.48 mm at baseline, 0.55 ± 0.69 mm after 1 year, and 0.44 ± 0.62 mm after 5 years in the CAF + CTG group. The differences between groups at 5 years of follow-up was statistically significant. CRC was obtained in 60% of teeth in the CAF group and in 70% of teeth in the CAF + CTG group at the 5-year followup. The results showed a significant difference between CAF and CAF + CTG techniques for the treatment of single recession with regard to REC; no significant difference was found in the percentage of teeth presenting CRC after 5 years.