Augmentation of keratinized gingiva through bilaminar connective tissue grafts: a comparison between two techniques.
OBJECTIVE
A mucogingival deficiency is considered a potential risk factor for periodontal disease. In particular, mucogingival deficiency can lead to gingival recession, which is a pathological entity per se, due to the increased risk for dental hypersensitivity and root caries. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare 2 bilaminar grafting techniques normally employed to achieve root coverage.


METHODS
Thirty-five patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 included 19 patients with 49 gingival recessions treated by Nelson technique (as modified by Harris), while group 2 included 15 patients with 40 recessions treated by Langer technique. Clinical evaluation was performed at preoperative level (T0), after 1 month (T1) and after 1 year (T2). Statistical analysis was performed by means of Friedmann and Wilcoxon test and U-Mann-Whitney test.


RESULTS
The statistical analysis did not reveal any significant difference between groups, both in terms of percentage of root coverage and of width of keratinizaed gingiva gain. A significant difference was only observed within each group, for the amount of keratinized gingiva at T1 vs T0 and at T2 vs T1.


CONCLUSIONS
This study did not show any statistical difference between the Nelson and the Langer technique as to root coverage and gain in keratinized gingiva.
Bertoldi
C
C
Dental School, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. carlo.bertoldi@unimore.it
Bencivenni
D
D
Lucchi
A
A
Consolo
U
U
D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000637:transplantation*; D012534:Dental Scaling; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005881:Gingiva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D005893:Gingivoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D010159:Palate; D016745:Root Planing; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D007633:Keratins