Effect of topical phenytoin on creeping attachment of human gingiva: A pilot study

Background and aim: the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical phenytoin on creeping attachment.methods: in this pilot quasi-experimental study, 8 patients referring to kerman school of dentistry, kerman, iran with miller class i or ii gingival recessions were selected using convenient non-random sampling if they needed root coverage and met the study's inclusion criteria. the patients applied phenytoin mucoadhesive paste 1% on the surface of the deepithelialized gingiva of the tooth with gingival recession, twice a day for two months. data was analyzed with paired t-test using spss version 17.results: according to our findings, the width of keratinized gingiva at the baseline was 3 mm, and after 2 months it increased to 3.1 mm. the mean baseline height and width of gingival recession were 1.9 mm and 3 mm, respectively, and after 2 months they decreased to 1.8 mm and 2.9 mm accordingly. there was no significant difference in any of the aforementioned parameters before and after treatment (p > 0.05).conclusions: the results of this study showed that topical application of phenytoin mucoadhesive paste can not initiate and promote creeping attachment