Comparison of acellular dermal graft and palatal autograft in the reconstruction of keratinized gingiva around dental implants: a case report.

The use of autogenous gingival grafts has proved to be an effective and predictable way to increase the amount of keratinized gingiva. However, discomfort and pain at the donor site are unavoidable. Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) allograft can be used as a donor tissue to eliminate the need for another surgical site and alleviate pain and trauma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ADM allograft in increasing the width of keratinized gingiva around dental implants. A patient with inadequate keratinized gingiva around dental implants in maxillary and mandibular anterior regions received either an ADM graft or palatal autograft by random allocation. The width of keratinized gingiva and other clinical periodontal parameters were recorded initially and at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Both grafts provided satisfactory results. The width of keratinized tissues was increased by using the ADM allograft, but by a lesser amount than seen with the autogenous gingival graft.

Polymer-assisted regeneration therapy with Atrisorb barriers in human periodontal intrabony defects.

AIM: This study compared clinical results of 40 periodontal osseous defects treated by two types of absorbable barrier materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients (23 males and seven females) suffering from moderate to advanced periodontitis (with comparable osseous defects) were randomly assigned to receive either Atrisorb barrier (n = 22; group A) or Resolut XT barrier (n = 18; group B) therapy. Periodontal phase I treatment and oral hygiene instruction were performed before periodontal surgery. Papillary preservation, partial thickness flap, citric acid root conditioning, and decortication procedures were applied during the operation. Bone defects were filled with demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft and minocycline mixture (4:1 ratio). Postoperative care included 0.10% chlorhexidine rinse daily and antibiotic medication for 2 weeks. Clinical assessments including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession (GR), plaque index (PII), gingival index (GI), and radiographic examinations were taken at the baseline, preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months after regenerative surgery. RESULTS: Six months following therapy, both Atrisorb and Resolut XT groups had achieved comparable clinical improvement in pocket reduction (3.9 versus 4.4 mm), attachment tissue gain (clinical attachment gain; 3.5 versus 3.6 mm), and reduction in the GI and in the PII. Within-group comparisons showed significant attachment gain and pocket reduction between baseline data and those at both 3 and 6 months postoperatively (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in any measured data between groups A and B. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that a comparable and favorable regeneration of periodontal defects can be achieved with both Atrisorb and Resolut XT barriers. Further long-term study and histologic observations of tissue healing are needed to evaluate whether Atrisorb is promising for clinical use.