LAUSR

BACKGROUND Tooth location has been shown to play a significant role on root coverage outcomes. However, whether this has an impact on the outcomes of coronally advanced flap (CAF) for treating multiple adjacent gingival recessions (MAGRs) remains to be determined. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of tooth location, flap design and flap extension on the outcomes of MAGRs following CAF with or without a connective tissue graft (CTG). MATERIAL AND METHODS A re-analysis of 6 previously published clinical trials evaluating the outcomes of CAF in the treatment of MAGRs was performed utilizing mixed regression and logistics to assess the influence of potentially influential factors on the treatment outcomes. RESULTS Six hundred and nine MAGRs in 166 patients were evaluated. The anterior maxilla (2nd sextant) was associated to the highest mean root coverage (mRC) and complete root coverage (CRC) outcome (p < 0.05). In addition, the maxillary teeth showed significantly greater mRC and CRC than teeth in the lower jaw [with the lower anterior (5th sextant) showing the lowest outcomes] (p < 0.05). A higher mRC was observed for the anterior teeth compared to posterior dentition (p < 0.05). While CAF + CTG achieved better results than CAF alone, no differences were found when the flap was performed with or without vertical releasing incisions (p > 0.05). Lastly, teeth in the distal part of the flap showed lower mRC and CRC than teeth in the central or mesial position (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Tooth location was found to play a key role in determining the amount of root coverage achievable, with maxillary canines and incisors being associated with the highest outcomes compared to other sextants. Maxillary MAGRs showed greater mRC and CRC than mandibular MAGRs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.