The influence of root prominence in the onset of gingival recession and its significance as a risk factor for root coverage treatment

: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Muco-gingival pathology presents as an open disruption of the periodontium or as recession of the gingival margin (GR). The etiology of GR is multifactorial, and the factors involved can have different natures and can be either patient-related or site-specific. New technologies at our disposal can help us to understand more factors that until now were hard to assess. Root prominence is one of these, but the literature is still lacking on the topic. Aim: This systematic review aims to identify, evaluate, and summarize the results of all relevant individual studies on radicular prominence and its relationship with gingival recessions. Materials and Methods: This systematic review has been conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines (PRISMA). The review is based on the PICO question ''In teeth with vestibular site-specific root or alveolar bone prominence, what are the chances that this will lead to gingival recession or difficulty in root coverage procedures, compared to teeth correctly positioned in the alveolar bone or without anatomical root prominence?'' A search was carried out on three databases: Embase, PubMed and Wiley. This initial search was complemented with manual research. Results: It was included four studies. Negative correlations appeared when comparing the variables root prominence with linear root coverage, root surface area covered and linear thickness gain. For prominences greater than 1 mm there was a precipitous drop in root coverage. In support, a case series reports relevant keratinized tissue gains in the treatment of gingival recessions after odontoplasty. Conclusions: Within the limitation of this study and the low number of studies found, it was not possible to draw strong conclusions. It is suggested the development of more studies, especially (randomized controlled trial) RCT, in order to establish more significance for this site-specific risk factor, and to improve the know-how to manage this condition.

Date of Award	19 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Anna Moura (Supervisor) & Gustavo Fernandes (Co-Supervisor)