Abstract :
Background: The Coronally Advanced Flap (CAF) combined with Connective Tissue Graft (CTG) is the standard approach for managing gingival recession defects. However, it may cause increased patient discomfort due to the need for an additional surgical site. This study evaluates the efficacy of Amniotic Membrane (AM) and Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) as alternatives for treating Cairo's Recession Type I defects.Aim: To compare the clinical outcomes of CAF with AM (CAF AM) and with PRF (CAF PRF) in root coverage for Cairo's Recession Type I defects.Materials and Methods: Ten patients aged 20 to 40 years with bilateral Cairo’s Recession Type I defects were enrolled. Sites were randomly assigned to receive either CAF AM (test group) or CAF PRF (control group). Clinical parameters including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), gingival biotype (GB), width of keratinized tissue (WKT), and wound healing index (WHI)—were recorded at baseline, and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Statistical analysis was performed using t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and Friedman’s test depending on data distribution.Results: Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in CAL, RD, RW, and WKT from baseline to 6 months (p < 0.05). However, the AM group demonstrated significantly greater root coverage (95.5% vs 77%; p < 0.01) and keratinized tissue gain. No significant differences were found between the groups for PD, GB, or WHI (p > 0.05). Healing was uneventful in both groups with good patient compliance and no adverse events.Conclusion: Both AM and PRF in combination with CAF are effective in treating Cairo’s Type I gingival recession defects. However, AM gave superior clinical outcomes in terms of root coverage and keratinized tissue width. These findings suggest AM may serve as a viable alternative to PRF. Further large scale and long term studies are warranted to validate these results and assess the stability of treatment outcomes.
Keyword :
Amniotic membrane, Gingival recession, Guided tissue regeneration, Platelet rich fibrin