Evaluation of the Effect of Surgical Experience Level on the Success of Coronally Advanced Flap Technique

• Published in: The International journal of periodontics & restorative dentistry
• Main Authors: Ozcan, Mustafa, Dulgar, Gizem Ada, Turer, Onur Ucak, Alkaya, Bahar, Haytac, Mehmet Cenk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 25.10.2023
• ISSN: 1945-3388
• DOI: 10.11607/prd.6163

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of experience level on clinical and aesthetic results of coronally advanced flap (CAF) surgery.A post-graduate student's first 40 CAF operations in the periodontology residency program were followed. The Miller Class I gingival recessions were divided into 4 chronological groups (n: 10 in each). Clinical and aesthetical evaluations were performed at baseline and after 6 months. The results of chronological intervals were statistically compared. While the overall mean root coverage (RC) percentage was 73.6%, and the complete RC was 60%, the mean RC of the groups respectively were 45%, 55%, 86%, 95% showing that the percentage of mean and complete RC increased as the level of experience increased ( <0.05). Similarly, as the level of operator experience increased; the closure of the gingival recession depth and width and esthetic scores increased while the surgery time decreased significantly ( <0.05). Complications were observed in three patients in the first and in two patients in the second interval, while no complications were observed in other groups. This study showed that the experience level can significantly affect the coronally advanced flap clinical/aesthetic outcomes, operation time and complication rates. All clinicians should determine the optimal number of cases to perform each surgical procedure with adequate and safe expertise and acceptable outcomes. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. doi: 10.11607/prd.6163.