The use of a resorbable membrane in mucogingival surgery. Case series.

A surgical technique involving a resorbable membrane was used to treat 3 to 7 mm localized human buccal recessions on 10 consecutive patients. The exposed root surface was scaled and a trapezoidal mucoperiosteal flap was elevated after de-epithelization of the papillae. The space between the root and the membrane was created using a bur to form a concavity on the root and by bending the membrane with a suture. The flap was positioned as coronally as possible covering the membrane. The sutures were removed 15 days postsurgery and tetracycline therapy prescribed for 10 days. The results were evaluated at 12 months. The surgical procedure resulted in a significant reduction in recession (2.9 mm +/- 1.3) as well as a gain in attachment (3.4 mm +/- 2.1). Calculation of mean root coverage was 59.6%. There was no significant change of the keratinized tissue width. For therapeutic reasons, re-entry was performed in 2 cases: newly formed tissue was observed on the previously exposed roots. Guided tissue regeneration using a resorbable membrane appears to provide good results in cases of localized buccal recession.