Management of Miller’s Class III gingival recession by pouch and tunnel technique and connective tissue graft obtained using single incision technique

Abstract

Background: Receded gingiva leads to various problems such as dentinal hypersensitivity, root caries and unaesthetic appearance. Connective tissue grafting techniques have provided the best results till date when used in combination with root coverage procedures. The present paper highlights the use of pouch and tunnel (PT) technique in combination with connective tissue graft (CTG) that was procured using minimally invasive single incision technique for gingival recession coverage (RC).Materials and Method: A total number of 12 patients and 24 defect sites with Miller’s class III recession were treated using PT technique and CTG that was procured from maxillary palatal aspect by single incision technique. Probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), thickness of attached gingiva (TAG), width of keratinized gingiva (WKG), height of gingival recession (HGR) and width of gingival recession (WGR) were the clinical parameters measured at baseline, 3 months and 6 months post-operatively.Result: During the 3 months and 6 months follow-up, all the measured clinical parameters showed statistically significant improvement except PPD. The mean percentage of root coverage achieved at 3 months and 6 months was 88.07% and 86.09% respectively.Conclusion: PT in combination with CTG achieves predictable RC even in Miller’s class III recession cases.