Treatment of Multiple Adjacent Gingival Recessions with the Tunnel Subepithelial Connective Tissue Graft: A Clinical Report

This article describes a surgical periodontal plastic procedure for the coverage of multiple adjacent gingival recessions. This surgical technique is based on the construction of a tunnel under the gingival tissue by means of a sulcular incision beyond the mucogingival line without raising the papillae. A large connective tissue graft obtained from the palatal mucosa is introduced through this tunnel, covering the adjacent gingival recessions. A suturing technique to allow this graft to slip through the tunnel under the gingival tissues and to secure and stabilize the graft covering the recessions is described. Twelve-month postoperative results are presented from 21 teeth that were treated with this technique: 100% root coverage was achieved in 66.7% of the recessions treated, with a mean root surface coverage of 91.6%. This study suggests that the use of this surgical procedure allows the treatment of multiple adjacent recessions in a single procedure with adequate early healing and highly predictable root coverage results.