Modified Widman Flap vs Fibre Retention Osseous Resective Surgery

The treatment of periodontitis should be carried out in an incremental manner, first by achieving adequate patient's oral hygiene practices and risk factor control during the first step of therapy and then, during the second step of therapy, by professional elimination (reduction) of supra and subgingival biofilm and calculus. If the endpoints of therapy (no periodontal pockets \>4 mm with bleeding on probing, BoP, or deep pockets ≥5 mm) have not been achieved, the third step of therapy should be implemented. In fact, residual pockets following step 1 and 2 of periodontal treatment are associated with increased risk of periodontal disease progression in the long-term as reported by Claffey \& Egelberg in1995. Residual probing depth (PPD) ≥5 mm after active therapy is a risk factor for disease progression and tooth loss during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT), suggesting that additional treatment of residual pockets is strongly recommended. The third step of treatment includes the following interventions: repeated subgingival instrumentation, access flap periodontal surgery, resective periodontal surgery, regenerative periodontal surgery. In case of residual pockets associated with shallow-moderate infrabony defects at posterior teeth, where both regenerative therapy and non-surgical re-instrumentation are usually not indicated, access flap procedures (i.e., the Modified Widman Flap, MWF) and the Osseous Resective Surgery (ORS) are considered two of the most viable options. The value of these surgical techniques has been tested over the years by different clinical trials, and the choice of a surgical approach still relies mainly on the decision-making process of the surgeon, since the long-term outcomes of the different periodontal surgical procedures are similar, as highlighted by a recent systematic review. Nevertheless, one the main criticism that have been moved against ORS, lies on the fact that the side effects (i.e., gingival recessions) seem to be m