A 2-year clinical evaluation of a diphenylphosphorylazide-cross-linked collagen membrane for the treatment of buccal gingival recession.

To retard collagen membrane enzymatic degradation and to increase its mechanical strength, the diphenylphosphorylazide (DPPA) technique has been demonstrated to achieve natural cross-links between peptide chains of collagen without leaving any foreign product in the cross-linked molecule. In the present prospective clinical trial, the potential of a DPPA-cross-linked type I bovine collagen membrane was evaluated in the healing of 15 buccal soft tissue recessions in 15 patients according to the biological concept of guided tissue regeneration. The recession decreased from 3.7 mm (SD 1.4) at baseline to 0.8 mm (SD 1.2) at 2 years postsurgery, corresponding to a mean root coverage of 82.2% (P <0.0001). Concurrently, the clinical attachment level decreased from 5.4 mm (SD 1.6) at baseline to 1.9 mm (SD 1.2) 2 years postsurgery, corresponding to an average clinical attachment gain of 3.5 mm (SD 1.3) (P <0.0001). The 2-year postsurgical width of the keratinized tissue was not significantly different from baseline values. More than half (53%) of the treated sites showed complete root coverage and about two-thirds (73%) of the total cases showed a 75% to 100% disappearance of the mucogingival defect. The present investigation demonstrated that the use of DPPA-cross-linked collagen membranes in the treatment of human buccal soft tissue recessions results in predictable amounts of root coverage and clinical attachment gain. Long-term randomization controlled clinical trials of this material are needed to fully evaluate its potential for treating periodontal recession.