Covering Miller Class I Anterior Mandibular Fracture: A Comparative Evaluation of Free Gingival Graft (FGG) Versus Langer's Connective Tissue Graft (L-CTG)

Abstract

Background: Gingival recession occurs due to multiple etiological and predisposing factors. The objective of this study was to compare the root coverage achieved by two techniques—the Free Gingival Graft (FGG) and Langer’s Connective Tissue Graft (L-CTG)—in patients presenting with Miller Class I recession affecting the mandibular anterior teeth.

Materials and Methods: This research utilized a retrospective case-control design and was conducted in Ilam Province in 2020. The study population comprised 20 patients referred to a private clinic who presented with Miller Class I gingival recession on their mandibular anterior teeth (with 1 to 2 mm of attached gingiva width). These patients were divided into two groups: Group I (10 subjects) treated using the conventional Free Gingival Graft (FGG) technique, and Group II (10 subjects) treated using the Langer’s Connective Tissue Graft (L-CTG) technique, harvested from the palate using the Trape Door technique. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.

Results: The findings of this study indicate that both FGG and SECTG are effective methods for root coverage. When comparing the degree of anatomical root exposure between the two groups, this parameter showed a greater reduction in the SECTG group; however, this difference was not statistically significant ( ). Furthermore, the reduction in Clinical Crown Length was greater in the SECTG group than in the FGG group ( ), though this difference was also non-significant. Comparing recession width, the reduction was greater in the SECTG group ( ), but this difference was not statistically significant. Similarly, the increase in the amount of attached gingiva was greater in the SECTG group than in the FGG group ( ), though this difference was also non-significant.

Conclusion: Given that both the FGG and SECTG techniques demonstrated similar efficacy in treating gingival recession and achieving root coverage, and considering that the tissue harvesting method in the Langer technique (SECTG) is inherently less invasive than the free harvesting required for the FGG technique, it is concluded that the use of the Langer technique (SECTG) is recommended as the preferred treatment modality.

Keywords:

Root Coverage, Free Gingival Graft, Langer’s Connective Tissue Graft, Miller Class I Recession, Mandible

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