title: A modified surgical flap for root coverage in association with grafting materials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clinically evaluate in humans the effectiveness of a modified flap for root coverage associated with connective tissue graft or acellular dermal matrix graft after a postoperative period of 12 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty bilateral gingival recessions were selected and randomly assigned into experimental groups. All of them were treated with a modified surgical flap, with the releasing incisions placed on the mesial and distal line angles of the adjacent teeth, distant from the main defect, providing a broader flap. One site was treated with the autograft and the contralateral site, with the allograft. Probing depth, clinical attachment level, gingival recession, and keratinized tissue width were measured at baseline and after 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both procedures significantly improved the clinical parameters evaluated, without statistically significant differences between them. While the autograft group had a mean gingival recession reduction from 3.15 to 0.67 mm, in the allograft group, it was from 3.47 to 0.93 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The extended flap technique can improve the root coverage results using the subepithelial connective tissue graft or the acellular dermal matrix.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Graft survival plays a decisive role in mucogingival therapy results and the selection of the appropriate surgical technique is important to achieve it. This 12-month randomized study showed that an extended flap is able to improve the results of root coverage of localized gingival recessions not only when using the acellular dermal matrix as shown in a previous study, but also when using the subepithelial connective tissue. On this basis, this surgical technique can be suggested as the procedure of choice for treating this type of defect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bucco-Maxillo-Facial Surgery and Traumatology and Periodontology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Café - s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-904, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raquel R M
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Guilherme O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.forename: Adriana Corrêa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Queiroz
authors.forename: Arthur B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Novaes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000601:surgery*