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Background: Emerging clinical data points to the relevance of the presence of keratinized tissue (KT). Although apically positioned flap/vestibuloplasty along with free gingival graft (FGG) is considered as a standard intervention for augmenting KT, substitute materials appear to be a viable treatment alternative. So far, there is a lack of data investigating the dimensional changes at implant sites treated with soft-tissue substitutes or FGG., Aim: The present study aimed at comparing three-dimensional changes of a porcine derived collagen matrix (CM) and FGG for increasing KT at dental implants over a 6-month follow-up period., Materials and Methods: The study enrolled 32 patients exhibiting deficient KT width (i.e., < 2 mm) at the vestibular aspect who underwent soft tissue augmentation using either CM (15 patients/23 implants) or FGG (17 patients/31 implants). The primary outcome was defined as tissue thickness change (mm) at treated implant sites between 1- (S0), 3- (S1), and 6-months (S2). Secondary outcomes considered changes of KT width over a 6-month follow-up period, surgical treatment time, and patient-reported outcomes., Results: Dimensional analyses from S0 to S1 and from S0 to S2 revealed a mean decrease in tissue thickness of - 0.14 ± 0.27 mm and - 0.04 ± 0.40 mm in the CM group, and - 0.08 ± 0.29 mm and - 0.13 ± 0.23 mm in the FGG group, with no significant differences noted between the groups (3 months: p = 0.542, 6 months: p = 0.659). Likewise, a comparable tissue thickness decrease was observed from S1 to S2 in both groups (CM: - 0.03 ± 0.22 mm, FGG: - 0.06 ± 0.14 mm; p = 0.467). The FGG group exhibited a significantly greater KT gain after 1, 3 and 6 months compared to the CM group (1 month: CM: 3.66 ± 1.67 mm, FGG: 5.90 ± 1.58 mm; p = 0.002; 3 months: CM: 2.22 ± 1.44; FGG: 4.91 ± 1.55; p = 0.0457; 6 months: CM: 1.45 ± 1.13 mm, FGG: 4.52 ± 1.40 mm; p < 0.1). Surgery time (CM: 23.33 ± 7.04 min.; FGG: 39.25 ± 10.64 min.; p = 0.001) and postoperative intake of analgesics were significantly lower in the CM group (CM: 1.2 ± 1.08 tablets; FGG: 5.64 ± 6.39 tablets; p = 0.001)., Conclusions: CM and FGG were associated with comparable three-dimensional thickness changes between 1 and 6 months. While a wider KT band could be established with FGG, the use of CM significantly reduced surgical time and patients´ intake of analgesics., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Rationale: With respect to improving the quality of oral rehabilitation, the management of keratinized mucosa is as important as bone condition for implant success. To enhance this management, a natural teeth-retained splint based on a patient-specific 3-dimensional (3D) printed mandible was used in vestibuloplasty to provide sufficient keratinized mucosa around dental implants to support long-term implant maintenance., Patient Concerns: A 28-year-old male patient had a fracture of the anterior andible 1 year ago, and the fracture was treated with titanium., Diagnoses: The patient had lost mandibular incisors on both the sides and had a shallow vestibule and little keratinized mucosa., Interventions: In the first-stage implant surgery, 2 implants were inserted and the titanium fracture fixation plates and screws were removed at the same time. During second-stage implant surgery, vestibuloplasty was performed, and the natural teeth-retained splint was applied. The splint was made based upon a patient-specific 3D-printed mandible. At 30-day follow-up, the splint was modified and reset. The modified splint was removed after an additional 60 days, and the patient received prosthetic treatment., Outcomes: After prosthetic treatment, successful oral rehabilitation was achieved. Within 1 year and 3 years after implant prosthesis finished, the patient exhibited a good quantity of keratinized gingiva., Lessons Subsections: The proposed splint is a simple and time-effective technique for correcting soft tissue defects in implant dentistry that ensures a good quantity of keratinized mucosa.

Oral findings in patients with ectodermal dysplasia (ED) include complete or partial hypodontia, anodontia, loss of vertical dimension of occlusion, protuberant lips, malformed and widely spaced conical-shaped teeth, and underdeveloped alveolar ridges. These patients present a substantial challenge in dental treatment. This case report presents oral rehabilitation of a 22-year-old male patient diagnosed with ED using an implant tooth-supported telescopic partial denture at the mandible and a tooth-supported telescopic partial denture at the maxilla. Implants in the mandible were placed at the sites of the right and left lateral incisor teeth. Following implant placement, the remaining buccal bone dehiscence was filled with deproteinized bovine bone graft and covered with resorbable membrane. To manage the vestibular insufficiency and to increase the keratinized mucosa in maxilla, bilateral acellular dermal matrix allograft was used on the right and left buccal aspects. The treatment described here improved the patient's functional and esthetic status while significantly restoring his oral health and self-esteem.

Objective: Stereophotogrammetry (SPT) is a method in which three-dimensional coordinates are calculated from multiple two-dimensional projections. The purpose of this study was to compare the surface area changes between the secondary healing and grafting vestibuloplasty techniques in the mandible by using a stereophotogrammetric technique (SPT)., Patients and Methods: Thirteen patients were included in this study: six patients were managed by using full-thickness skin or palatal mucosa grafts (two full-thickness palatal mucosal grafts and four full-thickness skin grafts); the remaining seven patients, who did not accept a second surgery for graft harvesting, underwent secondary epithelization vestibuloplasties. Postoperative changes of surgical areas were measured by using SPT., Statistical Analyses: The Wilcoxon (intragroup comparisons) and Mann-Whitney U (intergroup comparisons) tests were used for analysis of data., Results: In the grafting vestibuloplasty group, the surface area gain was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the secondary epithelization vestibuloplasty group, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05), with even decrease of surface area being noted in some cases., Conclusion: SPT is a valid method for measurement of intraoral soft tissue changes.

The dental treatment of HIV-positive individuals has undergone a change from the management of HIV-associated oral lesions to routine comprehensive dental care. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report in which palatal soft tissue grafts were used for vestibuloplasty in an HIV-positive patient with a shallow mandibular vestibule. No adverse sequelae were seen during follow-up.

Background: Coverage of gingival recession defects has been considered as a subject of interest for dental practitioners., Aim: The present study was aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of root coverage (RC) procedures, using coronally advanced flap (CAF) in combination with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) with or without enamel matrix derivatives (EMD)., Materials and Methods: A total of 36 Miller class I or II recession defects in 15 eligible patients were selected. The defects were randomly allocated to test (CAF+ADM+EMD) and control (CAF+ADM) groups. Recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), width of keratinized tissue (WKT), clinical attachment level (CAL), and the position of mucogingival junction (MGJ) were measured at baseline, two and six months after treatment., Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and paired sample t-test with the patients as statistical unit., Results: At two-month follow-up, the mean RC for CAF+ADM+EMD and CAF+ADM was 82.75 +/- 22 and 88.89 +/- 22 percent, respectively. However, these values did not change significantly after six months. Both treatments led to significant RC (P < 0.001), whereas no significant differences were observed in WKT, CAL, and MGJ between the study groups., Conclusion: The application of EMD does not improve the clinical efficacy of ADM in combination with CAF in RC procedures.

The frenum exerts a pull upon the tissue and can lead to the continuation of the lesion, and the keratinized tissue provides increased resistance to the periodontium. Various techniques have been used to deepen the vestibule and increase the keratinized mucosa. However, there is no case report on correcting the frenal pull and increasing the keratinized mucosa around dental implant using denudation procedure. This article presents a case of frenal pull that was corrected with denudation procedure with the incision line within the keratinized tissue.

Twelve patients presented with oral submucosal fibrosis and loss of keratinized gingiva in a compromised vestibule of a severely deficient mandibular edentulous ridge secondary to oral cancer surgery. They received implant rehabilitation with a total of 49 fixtures without major bone graft augmentation. To overcome vestibular compromise, soft tissue management consisting of simultaneous vestibulo-sulcoplasty, split-thickness skin graft (STSG), and palatal keratinized mucosa graft (KMG) was performed as a second stage when healing abutment was transferred to replace the cover screw of the dental implant. Postoperative follow-up of all patients consisted of clinical and radiographic examinations for an average of 4 years, revealing good stability of implant fixtures with a 91.8% success rate and generally healthy peri-implant tissue, the latter with an average sulcus depth of 2.9 +/- 0.6 mm. Satisfactory results were also demonstrated regarding improved morphology of the vestibule, cosmetics, and prosthetic functionality. Vestibulo-sulcoplasty combining STSG and palatal KMG offers a stable and convenient method for rebuilding peri-implant tissue without need for bone grafting in selected patients who have compromised atrophic ridges secondary to cancer surgery.

Vestibuloplasty is indicated when prosthesis stability is poor due to mandibular or maxillary atrophy. The use of autogenous grafts to provide sufficient vestibular depth is widely accepted. In this retrospective study, the outcomes of vestibuloplasty performed on 41 patients using various types of autogenous grafts (full-thickness skin, dermal, reversed dermal, meshed skin and palatal mucosal) are presented. The best results were obtained with palatal mucosal grafts, but graft size is limited. Meshed skin grafts were shown to be the best alternative.

This paper examines various esthetic periodontal considerations during orthodontic treatment. The management of excessive gingival display caused by altered passive eruption is reviewed, with emphasis on causes, recognition, diagnosis and surgical management of this problem. A case of orthodontic treatment of excessive gingival display associated with altered passive eruption of the maxillary incisors is reviewed to demonstrate appropriate management. With proper diagnosis, soft-tissue periodontal procedures after completion of orthodontic treatment can enhance the patient's final appearance.

This article describes a technique in which an acellular dermal allograft is used in combination with a photopolymerized acrylic resin stent to increase the zone of keratinized tissue around osseointegrated dental implants. During the second-stage surgery, a split thickness labial flap is reflected and apically repositioned by being sutured onto the periosteum and connective tissue. The acellular dermal allograft is then sutured onto the recipient site. The acrylic resin is trimmed and secured with temporary abutments to the implants, fitting passively over the graft and then photopolymerized intraorally. The stent is left for 1 week to secure the graft in place. This technique offers an alternative mucogingival procedure for increasing the zone of keratinized tissue around osseointegrated dental implants.

The use of transpositioned flap (lipswitch) vestibuloplasty combined with implant surgery in patients with severely resorbed atrophic edentulous ridges is reviewed. The cases of 17 patients with severely resorbed atrophic edentulous ridges at the mandible undergoing implant rehabilitation were reviewed. Lipswitch vestibuloplasty was followed immediately by the implant surgery. Postoperative follow-up consisted of clinical and radiographic examinations. Seventeen patients with atrophic ridges (12 class II and 5 class III) each had 2 implant fixtures placed in the mandible as abutments for a clip and bar overdenture. The average time of follow-up was 6 years. Before surgery, all patients had severely atrophic ridges with a compromised shallow vestibule of varying degrees. Satisfactory results were observed in regard to the immediate and long-term morphology of the vestibule, the health of the peri-implant tissue, the stability of implant fixtures, and the functionality of the prostheses. The lipswitch vestibuloplasty offers a safe and convenient method of surgical access for implant fixture installation, with the advantage of rebuilding the vestibule of a compromised atrophic ridge in the anterior mandible.

Fibrin sealant fixation of a skin graft without the use of sutures or a stent in mandibular vestibuloplasty is presented in this case report. The advantages of the fibrin sealant in preprosthetic surgery are discussed.