A Combined Flap for Root Coverage

A new mucogingival surgical technique for root coverage is proposed. Two kinds of flaps were obtained from the tissue surrounding the recession: the first, a partial thickness-epithelial connective flap, was designed to cover the second flap, which was a connective double-papilla flap positioned directly on the root surface. This technique was used to treat 11 cases of gingival recession ranging from 3 to 5 mm. After a period of 12 months, the mean root coverage was 84% with an average recession reduction of 2.7 mm, and the keratinized gingiva obtained was adequate in width and in thickness. The advantages of the suggested surgical technique are: (1) a single-step procedure is used, (2) there is no need for a second donor site, and (3) the achievement of a good final esthetic result with uniformity in the color and morphology of the flap relative to the surrounding tissues.