Root coverage using two surgical techniques with connective tissue graft or collagen matrix: A clinical trial

This study compared the outcomes of Bruno (1994) and Barros et al. (2004) surgical techniques, using both subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) and xenogeneic collagen matrix (CMX), for treating bilateral gingival recession type 1 defects (BR1). In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, eighteen patients received root coverage surgeries using either Bruno (1994) or Barros et al. (2004) technique, with SCTG or CMX randomly assigned to each side. Clinical parameters, patient-reported outcomes, and post-operative pain were assessed at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Both techniques demonstrated a significant reduction in recession depth, with median root coverage exceeding 75% across all groups. The Barros technique achieved complete root coverage in 77.8% of sites for both graft types, while the Bruno technique showed complete coverage in 55.6% of CMX sites and 66.7% of SCTG sites. Significant improvements in clinical attachment level and gingival thickness were observed in all groups (p < 0.001). CMX procedures showed shorter surgical times and lower post-operative pain scores compared to SCTG. Both techniques effectively treat RT1 gingival recessions, with SCTG showing slightly superior outcomes. CMX offers advantages in surgical time and patient comfort while achieving comparable results, providing a viable alternative to the gold standard SCTG.