Efficacy of platelet-rich fibrin and connective tissue graft in papilla reconstruction

Purpose To evaluate efficacy of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) or connective tissue graft (CTG) in papilla reconstruction (PR) with the semilunar incision (SI) technique. Materials and Methods The analysis consisted of 55 sites (27 CTG and 28 PRF) from 20 patients who underwent PR with either PRF or CTG placed in the maxillary anterior region with SI technique. Baseline (BL) and follow-up (T-1, first month, T-3, third month, T-6, sixth month) clinical data including periodontal evaluations (gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), pocket depth (PD), keratinized tissue width (KTW), gingival recession), papilla-associated recordings (alveolar crest-interdental contact point [AC-IC], alveolar crest-papilla tip [AC-PT], papilla tip-interdental contact point [PT-IC], papilla height loss [PHL], interdental tissue stroke [ITS] and papilla presence index [PPI]) and patient satisfaction were analyzed. Results CTG provided better PR outcomes. GI, PI, and PD showed a slight increase at T-1 and then, turned to their BL levels. The other periodontal parameters showed significant improvement after both treatment modalities. No inter-group difference was found except for KTW, which was in favor of CTG. Conclusion Based on the results, CTG is recommended over PRF in PR treatment due to its superior outcomes with less recurrence risk. Clinical Significance Connective tissue graft provides superior results than platelet-rich fibrin in papilla reconstruction with the semilunar incision technique.