Optimizing Clinical Outcomes in CAF + SCTG: the Impact of Compressive Sutures

The study will be a prospective, randomized, and controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the added benefit of compressive sutures (2 orizzontal and 1 vertical sutures) on CAF + SCTG to treat RT1 gingival recessions. For each study patient, one RT1 recession will be included. Clinical parameters will be evaluated at baseline and six months after treatment. Forty patients under care at the Periodontology Unit of the University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy, and presenting RT1 recessions, will be selected for inclusion. All 40 patients will first undergo professional supragingival scaling using ultrasonic instruments. Patients will also receive motivational oral hygiene instructions to adopt proper, pressure-free brushing techniques and non-traumatic use of dental floss and/or interdental brushes. The use of a pressure-controlled electric toothbrush with an extra-soft head will be recommended, and detailed instructions for its use will be provided. Access to the surgical phase will only be permitted after the achievement of supragingival plaque control through these non-traumatic oral hygiene procedures. A computer-generated, customized randomization table will be used to allocate experimental units into the two study groups. Post-surgical care will include a regimen of 2 g/day of amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid for six days and oral ibuprofen 600 mg as needed for pain control. Sutures will be removed two weeks after surgery. Plaque control of the grafted area will be managed for three weeks post-surgery with a twice-daily rinse using a 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate solution. Additionally, patients will apply a 1% chlorhexidine gel twice daily. Patients will undergo weekly professional supragingival cleaning and motivational reinforcement sessions for six weeks. Gentle cleaning with a soft toothbrush and interdental cleaning will be allowed starting two weeks after suture removal. All measurements will be performed by a single experienced operator. Complete root coverage (CRC) will be assumed as the main outcome at 6 months after treatment. Gingival recession (GR), clinical attachment level (CAL), pocket depth (PD), keratinized tissue width (KT,) thickness of keratinized tissue (GT), Root coverage esthetic score will be assessed at baseline and 6 months after treatment. PROMs will also be evaluated. The degree of general discomfort (D) experienced will be assessed on a VAS scale (0-10). Patient-reported aesthetic satisfaction (PRES) at T1 will also be quantified on a VAS scale (0-10). Overall treatment satisfaction (OTS) at T1 will be assessed by asking each patient if they would undergo surgery again (yes/no).