Root coverage using subepithelial connective tissue graft with platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of gingival recession: A clinical study

Introduction: The presence of gingival recession associated with an insufficient amount of keratinized tissue may indicate gingival augmentation procedure. It is a multifaceted problem for which several treatment options are available. The most predictable technique used for gingival augmentation is the subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG). Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an enhanced source of growth factors and helps in accelerated periodontal repair and regeneration. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of SCTG along with PRP in the treatment of Millers class I and II gingival recessions. Materials and Methods: Eleven subjects with Millers class I and II gingival recessions were treated using SCTG with PRP. Clinical variables, including plaque index, gingival index, recession depth (RD), Recession width (RW), width of the keratinized gingiva, probing pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded. Patients were recalled at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 1-year after surgery and clinical recordings were taken. Root coverage percentage (%) was measured at the end of 1-year. Results: The clinical parameters were analyzed during the follow-up period by repeated measures ANOVA test. Twelve months follow-up results showed significant improvements in all the clinical parameters. Reduction of recession resulted in a significant decrease in CAL, PD, RW and RD at the end of 12 months. A statistically significant gain in width of keratinized gingiva and a mean root coverage of 84.72 +/- 19.10 was obtained at the end of 12 months. Conclusion: From the results of this study, it may be concluded that SCTG with PRP is an effective and predictable method to treat millers class I and II gingival recession.