Dental Implants Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Dental Implants, including details on dentistry, surgery, tooth implants.

Soft tissue dehiscence coverage around endosseous implants: a prospective cohort study.

Burkhardt R, Joss A, Lang NP

School of Dental Medicine, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland. rino.burkhardt@bluewin.ch

AIM: To evaluate the healing outcome of soft tissue dehiscence coverage at implant sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients with one mucosal recession defect at an implant site and a contralateral unrestored clinical crown without recession were recruited. The soft tissue recessions were surgically covered using a coronally advanced flap in combination with a free connective tissue graft. Healing was studied at 1, 3 and 6 months post-operatively. RESULTS: Soft tissue dehiscences were covered with a coronal overcompensation of the flap margin up to 1.2 mm after the procedure. After 1 month, the coverage shrank to a mean of 75%, after 3 months to 70% and after 6 months to 66%. CONCLUSIONS: The implant sites revealed a substantial, clinically significant improvement following coronal mucosal displacement in combination with connective tissue grafting, but in none of the sites, a could complete implant soft tissue dehiscence coverage be achieved.

Published 17 April 2008 in Clin Oral Implants Res, 19(5): 451-7.
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