COMPARISON OF CORONALLY ADVANCED FLAP WITH AND WITHOUT CONNECTIVE TISSUE GRAFT IN MILLER CLASS I GINGIVAL RECESSION

Abstract

Objective: To compare the clinical outcomes of Coronally Advanced Flap (CAF) alone and Coronally Advanced Flap combined with Connective Tissue Graft (CAF+CTG) in the treatment of Miller Class I gingival recession defects. Methodology: A comparative clinical study was conducted in the Department of Periodontology. Forty patients presenting with Miller Class I gingival recession were equally allocated into two groups. Group A received Coronally Advanced Flap alone, while Group B received Coronally Advanced Flap combined with Connective Tissue Graft. Clinical parameters including recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), width of keratinized tissue (WKT), and percentage of root coverage were recorded at baseline and six months postoperatively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Both treatment modalities demonstrated significant improvement in all clinical parameters after six months. Mean root coverage was significantly greater in the CAF+CTG group (92.4±8.5%) compared to the CAF-alone group (78.6±12.7%) (p<0.001). The gain in keratinized tissue width was also significantly higher in the CAF+CTG group. Complete root coverage was achieved in 85% of sites treated with CAF+CTG compared with 60% of sites treated with CAF alone. Conclusion: Both techniques were effective in managing Miller Class I gingival recession; however, the addition of a connective tissue graft resulted in superior root coverage, greater tissue thickness, and improved clinical attachment gain. CAF combined with CTG may therefore be considered the treatment of choice for predictable root coverage.