Impact of timing of soft tissue augmentation on the width of keratinized mucosa around the dental implant.

Abstract

Purpose: This study measures the impact of timing of free gingival graft (FGG) in improving aesthetics, function, and long-term stability of dental implants by measuring keratinized mucosa width (KMW), soft tissue thickness (STT), and graft shrinkage after implant treatment.

Methods: The current randomized clinical trial included 20 patients with inadequate KMW and requiring placement of dental implant. The participants were randomly distributed into two groups. Group 1 received FGG 2 months before placing the dental implant while group 2 received the FGG at the second stage of implant surgery. The following parameters were evaluated and statistically analyzed at baseline, day 7, as well as 1, 3, 6, and 9 months postoperatively, KMW, STT and shrinkage percentage of the FGG.

Results: Twenty patients with ages ranging from 30 to 55 years with reduced KMW were included in the current study. Both groups showed a significant increase in KMW and STT on day7, 1, 3, 6, and 9 months postoperatively while the intergroup comparison showed no significant differences in KWM, STT, and shrinkage percentage between both groups at the same point of time.

Conclusion: The two study groups' outcomes demonstrated that the FGG can be placed either before or after dental implants to improve the soft tissue augmentation surrounding the implants. However, the implantologist should take patient preferences and long-term stability into consideration.