PRACTICAL PERIODONTOLOGY: COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF RECESSION CLOSING METHODS

The article is devoted to a comparative evaluation of the main surgical methods for gingival recession coverage in practical periodontology. The paper considers the clinical characteristics of flap techniques, particularly the coronally advanced flap, as well as transplantation methods using free gingival grafts and connective tissue grafts. The aim of the study was to compare the influence of different donor grafts on postoperative pain, healing of the donor site, graft survival, stability of the gingival margin, increase in gingival volume, and the degree of recession coverage. The study included 20 non-smoking adult patients with symmetrical Miller Class I–II gingival recessions. They were divided into two groups: the first group underwent coronally advanced flap surgery, while the second group underwent coronally advanced flap surgery combined with a connective tissue graft harvested from the palate. It was established that the use of a connective tissue graft ensured more stable recession coverage, increased gingival phenotype thickness, and caused less pronounced postoperative pain in the donor area. It was shown that after 6 months the degree of root coverage in the group with the connective tissue graft reached 98%, whereas in the group treated with the flap method alone it was 85%. It was concluded that the use of an autogenous connective tissue graft remains the most effective approach in the surgical management of gingival recessions and may be regarded as the gold standard for increasing the zone of keratinized attached gingiva and achieving a stable clinical result.