Evaluation of a New Bioabsorbable Barrier for Recession Therapy: A Feasibility Study

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a new polylactic acid bioabsorbable barrier in the treatment of gingival recession. Methods: Twenty patients with buccal recession defects (Miller class I, II, and III; mean recession: 4.0 ± 1.2 mm; range: 2.0 to 6.8 mm) participated. After thorough scaling and root surface conditioning with 10% tetracycline‐HCl, a trapezoidal mucoperiosteal flap was prepared. A customized barrier was applied to cover the defect. Barriers adhered directly to tooth and bone and no sutures were used. The barrier was subsequently covered by a coronally positioned flap. Assessments of probing depths were performed by means of a controlled‐force electronic probe, and recession was determined on stone models with a digital caliper at baseline and 12 months following therapy. Results: Eight barriers showed limited exposure (1 to 2 mm) with minimal signs of gingival inflammation between 2 and 6 weeks following surgery. Comparing baseline measurements with outcomes at 12 months, significant root coverage and probing attachment gain were observed ( P <0.0001, paired t test). Mean gingival recession was reduced to 0.4 ± 0.5 mm, corresponding to a mean root coverage of 91.9%, and overall attachment gains amounted to 4.2 mm. A significant gain of keratinized tissue was found (2.9 ± 0.7 mm), and mean probing depths were slightly reduced from 2.2 to 1.7 mm. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate favorable outcomes after using a new bioabsorbable barrier material for root coverage in recession‐type defects. J Periodontol 2000;71:1433‐1440.