Background:Currently, the leading theme in mucogingival surgery is the correction of gingival recession defects. Free gingival graft (FGG) has been successfully in use in this category of reconstructive therapeutic modality.Objectives:The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the literature with respect to efficacy of FGG in the management of Miller Class I and II localized gingival recessions.Data Sources:Search strategies were performed via electronic database which included Pubmed-Medline, Google scholar and manual search using University library resources. Two reviewers assessed the eligibility of the studies.Study Eligibility Criteria:Controlled clinical trials, randomized clinical trials and longitudinal studies evaluating recession areas treated by FGG with minimum of 6 months follow up were included. In-vitro and animal studies, studies mainly done on Miller Class III and IV gingival recession defect, studies on multiple gingival recessions and case series and case reports were excluded from the search.Results:The electronic and manual search identified a total of 557 articles. A final screen consisted of 39 articles out of which 17 articles were selected for full-text assessment. Finally, 7 articles were selected for detailed evaluation for this systematic review. FGG has shown significant results in all the studies except for one study.Conclusion:FGG produces substantial results, however, highly depends on the case selection and operator's skill and experience. FGG gives an impression of being the best alternative option in zones where gingival recession presents with inadequate width of attached gingiva and depth of vestibular fornix.

The aim of the present systematic review was to analyze the factors that affect the outcome of subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) for managing Miller's class I and class II isolated gingival recession defect. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses) guidelines for systematic reviews were used. Quality assessments of selected articles were performed. Data on root surface condition, recession type defect, flap thickness, different flap designs, different harvesting techniques, presence/absence of the epithelial collar, graft thickness, flap tension, suturing techniques, and smoking‐related outcomes on root coverage were assessed. The SCTG procedure provides the best root coverage outcomes for Miller's class I and class II recession. The critical threshold of flap thickness was found to be 1 mm. Maximum root coverage was achieved by envelope and modified tunnel technique. SCTG with the epithelial collar does not provide additional gains than SCTG without the epithelial collar. The thickness of SCTG for root coverage was found to be 1.5‐2 mm. Greater flap tension and smoking adversely affect root coverage outcomes. Analysis of the factors discussed would be of key importance for technique selection, and a combined approach involving factors favoring outcomes of SCTG could be of clinical relevance in recession coverage.

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