Clinical and histomorphometric soft tissue assessment comparing free gingival graft (FGG) and a collagen matrix (MS) as alveolar-sealer materials: a randomized controlled pilot clinical trial.

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the alveolar sealing performance between free gingival graft (FGG) and porcine collagen membrane (MS) and qualitatively assessed patient-centered outcomes via a visual analog scale (VAS). Eighteen patients were randomly divided into control (FGG) and test (MS) groups. After extraction, all the alveoli were filled with bovine bone grafts (small granules) and sealed. The follow-up happened during the immediate post-operatory period and after 3, 7, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days. After 180 days, before implant placement, tissue samples were obtained for histological analysis. The epithelial tissues were morphometrically measured for each sample. Qualitative information on the patient's perception of the treatment was collected after seven days. A faster healing was observed for the MS group. After 60 days, all the sites from the MS were partially healed, in contrast with only five from the FGG. The histological results after 120 days showed for the FGG group an acute inflammatory predominant process, whereas for the MS group was observed chronic processes. The mean epithelial height found for the FGG and MS were 535.69μm and 495.33μm (p=0.54). The intragroup analysis showed significant variance among the data (p<0.001) for both groups. The qualitative result showed statistically more significative comfort for the MS group (p<0.05). Within the limitation of this study, both techniques effectively promote alveolar sealing. However, the VAS result found a better and more significant result for the MS group, with faster wound healing and lower discomfort.