Introduction

Gingival recession is defined as an apical shift of the gingival margin, causing exposure of the root surface of the tooth. Surgical techniques of treatment gingival recession are indicated for unesthetic, exposed, and/or painful root surfaces. The coronally advanced flap (CAF) together with a connective tissue graft is regarded as the gold standard but an alternative xenogenic material would reduce a discomfort of patients and provide for sufficient available tissue.

Objectives

The aim of this case series study was to evaluate the efficacy of root coverage using the CAF technique with collagen matrix for the treatment of multiple recessions of Miller classes I and II over a short period of time.

Material and methods

Twelve patients were enrolled in the study. Clinical recordings were obtained at baseline and after 3 months: RD (recession depth), RW (recession width), KTW (keratinized tissue width), CAL (clinical attachment level), CEJ-MGJ recorded from the CEJ (cement-enamel junction) to the MGJ (mucogingival junction), PD (depth of gingival sulcus) and RA (recession area). The percentage of average recession coverage (ARC) and the percentage of complete covered recessions (CRC) were evaluated 3 months after the surgery.

Results

Significant decreases were recorded according to all of the parameters of recessions in comparison to the baseline measurements. The recession depth decreased from 2.0 mm to 0.5 mm. The mean ARC was 87% and CRC 47%.

Conclusions

Xenogenic collagen matrix combined with the CAF technique led to a satisfactory ARC and an insignificant increase in the width of the keratinized tissue, but it yielded a lower, unsatisfactory CRC.