Periodontitis is an infectious disease that culminates in inflammation within the soft tissues surrounding the teeth causing progressive bone loss. Periodontal surgery as part of the treatment of periodontal disease is mainly performed:

1) To gain access to diseased areas for adequate cleaning;

2) To achieve pocket reduction or elimination; and

3) To restore the periodontal tissues lost through the disease; i.e., a new attachment formation or periodontal regeneration.

To accomplish this goal of periodontal therapy, a number of surgical procedures have been advocated throughout the years.

Surgical debridement is a common procedure for teeth with deep periodontal pockets and horizontal bone loss. Surgical debridement with flap repositioning may often result in gingival recession which is seen due to lack of bone support for the flap, thin gingival tissue with limited blood supply and shrinkage of flap.

The gingival thickness is a significant predictor of clinical outcome of periodontal surgeries. A thick gingival biotype is a requisite for good periodontal health. It has important role in resisting trauma and subsequent gingival recession.

The term "gingival biotype" refers to the morphological characteristics of the gingiva and the tooth, whereas the terms "periodontal biotype," "periodontal morphotype," "gingival morphotype," and "gingival phenotype" refer to the clinical variations in the gingival thickness (GT) and keratinized tissue width (KTW), as well as other characteristics, such as bone morphotypes, tooth shape, and, morphological characteristics of the gingiva and the periodontium