Treatment of Gingival Recession Using the Pinhole Surgical Technique With Collagen Membrane Vs Coronally Advanced Flap Technique With Connective Tissue Graft: A Split-Mouth Randomized Clinical Trial.

The present investigation aimed to compare the treatment of gingival recession defects using either a coronally advanced flap technique and connective tissue graft (CAF + CTG) or the pinhole surgical technique and collagen membrane (PST + CM). Thirty-six subjects with bilateral gingival recession defects were included in the study. Each subject received both treatments, ie, CAF + CTG (n = 36) and PST + CM (n = 36), and completed a 1-year follow-up. Clinical and patient-centered assessments were performed, and intra- and intergroup differences were analyzed. At the 1-year follow-up, the mean recession reduction for CAF + CTG and PST + CM was, respectively, 1.98 mm ± 0.74 mm and 1.97 mm ± 1 mm (P = .53), and the mean percentage of root coverage was 65.4% ± 24.6% and 63.6% ± 24.5%, respectively (P = .72). Both groups presented significant gain of attachment level, with no significant differences between the groups (P = .9). The CAF + CTG group presented a statistically significant improvement in the width of keratinized tissue after 1 year, from 2.38 mm ± 1.5 mm to 2.61 mm ± 1.07 mm (P = .002). There was no significant difference when patient-centered outcomes were compared. Within the limits of the present study, the authors conclude that both CAF + CTG and PST + CM can successfully be used to treat gingival recession with no significant difference in efficacy between the two methods.