Influence of tooth location on coronally advanced flap procedures for root coverage

Background The efficacy of Coronally Advance Flap (CAF) has been extensively evaluated and several parameters influencing the results, such as interproximal attachment loss, recession defect size, papilla dimension, flap thickness, have also been identified. However, the influence of tooth location has not been systematically investigated yet. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the influence of tooth location on the outcomes of CAF. Methods Results A literature search on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane libraries and hand-searched journal until September 2017 was performed to identify clinical studies reporting the outcome of CAF for localized gingival recessions (GRs) for each single tooth. Eighteen articles reporting 399 localized GRs treated with CAF were included in the present systematic review. Canines and incisors were related to a higher mRC and CRC than premolars and molars (odds ratio 1.63) (p < 0.05), while the right side showed a higher CRC than the left side (odds ratio 1.60) (p < 0.05). No differences were found between maxillary and mandibular dentition (p > 0.05). The addition of a graft such as Connective Tissue Graft (CTG) with or without Enamel Matrix Derivative (EMD) was shown to enhance the outcomes compared to CAF alone (p < 0.05). CRC was negatively affected by initial clinical attachment level (p < 0.05), but not from the initial recession depth (p > 0.05). Conclusions Tooth location plays an important role on mRC and CRC following CAF. The addition of CTG or substitutes, especially with biological agents (EMD), enhance the clinical outcomes compared to CAF alone.