A bioresorbable barrier in the treatment of gingival recession: description of a new resorbable dome device.
The biologic principle of guided tissue regeneration has been expanded to mucogingival surgery, using resorbable barrier membranes for the treatment of gingival recessions. Space provision is one of the main problems in non-space making defects, considering the softness of resorbable membranes. In this study, we tested the possibility to create and maintain a secluded space using a slow, long-lasting resorbable suture so that a resorbable dome device could support the barrier and immediately become a space-making device. Ten purely mucogingival recessions in ten patients were treated. At 12 months, the results were evaluated. In five subjects the gingival margin was within 1 mm of the cementoenamel junction, in four patients it was within 2 mm, and in one case a residual gingival recession was present (where the membrane became exposed). The mean root coverage obtained was 70.4%, while the mean gain of clinical attachment was 3.3 mm.