Evaluation of Human Recession Defects Treated with Coronally Advanced Flaps and Either Enamel Matrix Derivative or Connective Tissue. Part 2: Histological Evaluation

Background: A number of surgical procedures are effective in covering denuded root surfaces. The first paper in this series evaluated the subepithelial connective tissue graft and the coronally advanced flap with enamel matrix derivative (EMD). That paper revealed no significant difference in the percent of root coverage between the two treatments (P = 0.82). There is limited human histological evidence of the type of attachment achieved with these types of procedures. This paper presents a human case report detailing the histological nature of the attachment of these two treatments to the root surfaces previously exposed by recession.

Methods: One patient presented with two hopeless teeth that were randomized to receive either a subepithelial connective tissue graft or a coronally advanced flap plus EMD. The surgery was accomplished in accordance to the protocol previously described. The teeth and a small collar of tissue were removed at 6 months and underwent histological analysis.

Results: Histological evaluation of the subepithelial connective tissue graft revealed a connective tissue attachment between the tooth and graft, and no histological evidence of cementum, bone, or periodontal ligament (PDL) and, therefore, regeneration. In addition, there appeared to be some resorption of the dentin adjacent to the graft. Histological evaluation of the coronally advanced flap with EMD revealed new cementum, organizing PDL fibers and islands of condensing bone at a constant distance from the root surface.

Conclusions: The subepithelial connective tissue graft in this study was found to have adhered to the root surface primarily by a connective tissue attachment with some evidence of root resorption. The coronally advanced flap with EMD was found histologically to have all the tissues necessary for regeneration: new cementum, organizing PDL fibers, and islands of condensing bone. These histologic sections strongly suggest that enamel matrix derivative works in a biomimetic fashion by mimicking the natural process of tooth development.