Clinical and histological healing of a new collagen matrix in combination with the coronally advanced flap for the treatment of Miller class-I recession defects: an experimental study in the minipig.

AIM

To describe the histological and clinical outcomes of the use of a xenogeneic collagen matrix (CM) in combination with the coronally advanced flap (CAF) in the treatment of localized Miller class-I gingival recessions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Gingival recession defects were surgically created on 12 minipigs. The defects were randomly treated with either the CAF procedure and the interposition of a CM (test) or the CAF alone (control). Clinical and histological outcomes at 1, 4 and 12 weeks were evaluated.

RESULTS

Histometrically, in the test group, there was a shorter junctional epithelial dimension [2.26 (SD 0.23) mm] compared with the control [2.79 (SD 0.77) mm]. On the contrary, the amount of newly formed cementum was larger in the test group [1.08 (SD 0.41) mm] than in the control group [0.75 (SD 0.25) mm], although the differences were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Both techniques rendered similar clinical outcomes, achieving complete root coverage at the end of the study. Nevertheless, the CM graft attained more tissue regeneration, characterized by a shorter epithelium and a larger new cementum formation. The use of a xenogeneic CM resulted in the incorporation of the xenograft within the adjacent host connective tissues in the absence of significant inflammation.