Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Advanced Platelet-Rich Fibrin in the Management of Gingival Recession Defects: Case Series.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this case series is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) in combination with coronally advanced flap (CAF) in the management of gingival recession defects and its first of its kind. CASE SERIES: Fourteen systemically healthy patients presenting with 35 RT1 recession defects were treated with A-PRF + CAF. Recession height (RH), recession width (RW), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), keratinized tissue height (KTH), and width of attached gingiva (WAG) were measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Gingival thickness (GTH) and phenotype were evaluated at baseline and 6 months postsurgery. Mean root coverage percentage (MRC%) was estimated at 3 and 6 months. At the end of 6 months, esthetics was measured on the scale of visual analogue scale (VAS) and recession esthetic scale (RES). Statistically significant reduction in mean RH was observed from baseline (2.49 ± 0.65 mm) to 6 months (0.66 ± 0.80 mm). At 6 months, the MRC% attained was 75.94 ± 26.72. Complete root coverage was achieved in 18 sites. At 6 months, there was a significant gain in GTH, CAL, WAG, and KTH (p ≤ 0.001). The mean RES and VAS esthetic scores were 8.54 ± 1.57 and 8.83 ± 1.17, respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, A-PRF may be suggested as a viable treatment option for the management of recession in maxillary anteriors and premolars.

Diode Laser as an Adjunct to Kirkland Flap Surgery-A Randomized Split-Mouth Clinical and Microbiological Study.

Background: Mechanical methods of periodontal therapy alone may fail to eliminate the tissue-invasive pathogenic flora; therefore, considerable attention has been given to adjunctive antimicrobial measures. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the clinical and microbiological effects of diode laser (DL) as an adjunct to Kirkland flap surgery versus Kirkland flap surgery alone for the treatment of generalized chronic periodontitis. Materials and methods: A total of 20 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis with probing pocket depth ≥5 mm after phase I therapy were included in this split-mouth study. Two contralateral quadrants of each patient were randomly assigned to either test or control group. Control group was treated with Kirkland flap surgery alone, whereas test group was treated with DL as an adjunct to Kirkland flap surgery. Periodontal parameters were recorded, and subgingival plaque samples were collected from both the control and test groups at baseline and third and sixth month. The plaque samples were then analyzed for red complex organisms using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Compared with baseline, both treatments showed an improvement in periodontal parameters at the third and sixth month. However, test group produced a significant improvement in plaque index (1.039 ± 0.069 vs. 1.392 ± 0.17, p < 0.001), bleeding on probing (16.512 ± 5.982 vs. 37.051 ± 7.459, p < 0.001), probing pocket depth (1.727 ± 0.39 vs. 3.016 ± 0.47, p < 0.001), and clinical attachment level (2.054 ± 0.524 vs. 3.354 ± 0.728, p < 0.001) at third and sixth month compared with the control group. Moreover, in the test group, levels of red complex bacteria were significantly reduced at third and sixth month compared with the control group. Conclusions: DL as an adjunct to Kirkland flap surgery has resulted in a greater reduction in clinical and microbiological parameters compared with Kirkland flap surgery alone, thereby offering additional benefit in treating generalized chronic periodontitis patients.