A review on papilla preservation flap techniques

Abstract

Periodontal therapy must necessarily consider esthetic appearance. Therefore, it is important to maintain gingival marginal anatomy with as much as the height of papilla during the course of the periodontal therapy. Surgical therapy used in periodontal defects in maxillary anteriors is possible in an esthetic manner only when integrity of the papilla is preserved. Hence, various flap designs have been developed such as papilla preservation flaps and minimally invasive surgical approaches with papilla elevation or without papilla elevation to reduce the risk of early wound failure. Several surgical techniques are used for primary flap closure and interdental tissue preservation, including various papilla preservation flaps, single flap approaches, soft and connective tissue wall techniques, MIST, M-MIST, and the "Whale's tail" technique.

Keywords: Interdental papilla; esthetics; minimally invasive; papilla preservation flap; periodontal flap surgery.