title: Coronally advanced flap procedure for root coverage. Treatment of root surface: root planning versus polishing.
abstract: This clinical study was designed to determine if mechanical instrumentation (root planing) of the exposed root is useful in treating gingival recession caused by traumatic toothbrushing following a coronally advanced flap (CAF). Ten patients with high levels of oral hygiene (full-mouth plaque score <20%), from 25 to 57 years of age, were selected for the study. Each patient showed 2 bilateral Class I or II maxillary recessions. A total of 20 recessions were treated. The difference in the recessions was < or =1 mm. In each patient, one recession was randomly assigned to the test group and the contralateral one to the control group. In the test group, the exposed root surface was polished at slow speed with a rubber cup and prophylaxis paste for 60 seconds. In the control group, the exposed root surface was planed with a sharp curet. In both test and control groups, a trapezoidal full- and partial-thickness flap was elevated, coronally displaced, and sutured to cover the treated root surface. Before treatment, the mean recession depth in the test group (polishing) was 3.1+/-1.1 mm; and in the control group (root planing), 2.9+/-1.0 mm. Three months after the described procedures, the test group (polishing) showed a mean recession reduction of 2.6+/-0.6 mm; mean percent root coverage was 89+/-14%. In the control group (root planing), the mean recession reduction was 2.3+/-0.7 mm and mean percent root coverage was 83+/-16%. The difference of recession reduction between the test and control group was not statistically significant (P = 0.1405), even though the test group showed slightly better clinical results in terms of root coverage. This prospective clinical, controlled, randomized study shows that mechanical instrumentation (root planing) of the exposed root surfaces is not necessary when shallow recessions caused by traumatic toothbrushing are treated using a coronally advanced flap (CAF) in patients with high levels of oral hygiene.
authors.affiliation: Dental School, University of Florence, Italy. gpinipr@tin.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pini-Prato
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pagliaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nieri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saletta
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rotundo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cortellini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005881:Gingiva / Q000473:pathology; D005888:Gingival Pocket / Q000473:pathology; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016745:Root Planing; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D019237:Tooth Cervix / Q000473:pathology; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000473:pathology*; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000009:adverse effects