title: Coronally advanced flap combined with a subepithelial connective tissue graft using full- or partial-thickness flap reflection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although the use of a subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) in conjunction with a coronally advanced flap (CAF) is a widely performed periodontal procedure, the creation of a partial-thickness flap can incur a risk of perforation or overthinning of the flap itself. Therefore, the aim of the present trial is to compare the efficacies of partial- and full-thickness flap reflections combined with an SCTG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with Miller Class I or II defects (52 teeth) were selected, and teeth with defects were randomly assigned to the test group (25 teeth) for a CAF and SCTG using a full-thickness flap reflection or to the control group (27 teeth) for a CAF associated with an SCTG and partial-thickness flap reflection. The probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and width of the keratinized tissue (KT) were assessed at baseline and 6 months after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean root coverage was 97% in the test group (mean reduction in GR: 2.27 ± 1.15 mm) and 95% in the control group (mean reduction in GR: 1.68 ± 0.74 mm). The gain in KT was 0.46 ± 1.47 mm in the test group and 0.49 ± 1.3 mm in the control group, the PD ranged from 1.33 to 1.55 mm in the test group and from 1.31 to 1.64 mm in the control group; no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for all of these parameters (P >0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elevation of a full- or partial-thickness flap did not appear to influence the amount of KT or the percentage of root coverage achieved post-surgically. More expanded studies are needed to confirm the present findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Padua University, Padua, Italy. fmazzocco@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mazzocco
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Comuzzi
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stefani
authors.forename: Ylenia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Milan
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Favero
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stellini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000637:transplantation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005881:Gingiva / Q000637:transplantation; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000601:surgery*; D005893:Gingivoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult