The connective tissue graft: a comparative clinical evaluation of wound healing at the palatal donor site - A preliminary study

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate early healing results of the palatal wound by comparing three different surgical procedures for harvesting a connective tissue graft: the single-incision (SI), the free gingival graft (FGG) and the trap-door (TD) techniques. Material and methods: 36 patients requiring a root coverage procedure were selected for treatment using a bilaminar technique and randomly assigned (12 per group) to the FGG, TD or SI groups. The size of the graft was standardised to 12 x 8 mm and the thickness ranged from 1 to 1.5 mm. The following parameters were recorded at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks postsurgery: immediate and delayed bleeding (iB, dB), sensibility (S), complete epithelialisation (CE), discomfort (D), and variation of feeding habits (FH). Results: The difference in CE between the SI and FGG groups was statistically significant at the third postoperative week (100% and 50%, respectively). The discomfort rate at the first week postsurgery was the same in the SI and TD groups (50% without discomfort), but results were statistically significant different in the FGG group (0% without discomfort). No significant differences were found between the three groups for the other parameters. Conclusions: Statistically significant differences were found between the SI and FGG techniques in terms of CE, which occurred faster in the SI group. The discomfort rate recorded for both SI and TD groups was significantly lower than for FGG group. No marked differences were noted between SI and TD procedures. The latter was confirmed by patient interviews. The results of this preliminary study have little statistical significance because of the limited number of patients but they represent an important basis for a comparative clinical study, with a larger sample of participants, which is currently in progress.