Comparison of Coronally Advanced Flap and Semilunar Coronally Repositioned Flap for Root Coverage of Gingival Recession in Maxillary Anterior Teeth: A Clinical Comparative Study.

Introduction Gingival recession is a common mucogingival condition that may result in dentinal hypersensitivity, root caries, cervical abrasion, and compromised aesthetics, particularly in the maxillary anterior region. Various root coverage procedures have been proposed for the management of gingival recession defects. Among the available treatment options, the coronally advanced flap (CAF) and semilunar coronally repositioned flap (SCRF) are relatively simple techniques for the treatment of isolated shallow recession defects. Aim This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of CAF and SCRF in the treatment of Miller's class I gingival recession defects in maxillary anterior teeth. Materials and methods Twenty patients presenting with isolated Miller's class I gingival recession defects in maxillary anterior teeth were enrolled in this randomized, single-blind controlled clinical study. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups (n = 10 each). Group A received treatment with CAF, whereas Group B was treated using the SCRF technique. Clinical parameters including recession height (RH), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and width of keratinized gingiva (WKG) were recorded at baseline, at three months, and at six months postoperatively. Additionally, the percentage of root coverage was calculated at six months. Results Both treatment modalities resulted in improvement of clinical parameters. Notably, SCRF was found to be a simple, rapid, and sutureless procedure with favorable gain in the WKG. However, CAF demonstrated superior clinical outcomes with respect to percentage of root coverage, frequency of complete root coverage, and gain in CAL at six months. Conclusion Both CAF and SCRF were effective in the management of Miller's class I gingival recession defects. However, CAF achieved superior root coverage and attachment gain compared with SCRF, suggesting that CAF remains the preferred treatment modality for predictable root coverage in isolated maxillary anterior recession defects.