Soft Tissue Thickness Research Articles

Dental and periodontal dimensions stability after esthetic clinical crown lengthening surgery: a 12‐month clinical study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the stability of periodontal tissues 3 (T3), 6 (T6), and 12 (T12) months after esthetic crown lengthening (ACL) and the possible correlations between changes in those structures.Materials and methodsTwenty individuals were evaluated through clinical assessment, photography, and tomography. Measurements included gingival margin (GM), clinical crown length (CCL), interdental papilla height (PH) and width (PW), gingival thickness (GT), bone thickness (BT), probing depth (PD), distance between alveolar crest and GM, distance between alveolar crest and cementoenamel junction. Nonparametric and correlation statistics were performed (p < 0.05).ResultsCCL at T0 was 7.42 ± 0.70 mm and increased to 9.48 ± 0.49 mm immediately after ACL, but it decreased to 8.93 ± 0.65 mm at T12. PD decreased 0.60 mm from T0 to T6, and it increased 0.39 mm from T6 to T12. BT decreased 0.20 mm, while GT increased 0.29 mm from T0 to T12. Both PW and PH showed enlargement in T12. A positive moderate correlation was found between CCL/T0 and CCL/T12, GT/T0 and AC-GM/T12, BT/T0 and GT/T12. A few negative moderate correlations were PD/T0 and CCL/T12, PD/T0 and PH/T0, PD/T0 and BT/T12.ConclusionsACL procedure was effective. Although some rebound occurred, that was not clinically important. PD tended to reestablish its original length, partially due to a migration of GM during the healing period. Besides, a thickening of supracrestal soft tissues was observed.Clinical relevanceThe present study centers on the factors influencing the stability of periodontal tissues after esthetic crown lengthening, underscoring the procedure’s influence on esthetics and biology and the need for careful treatment planning.

Quantification of cooling effects on basic tissue measurements and exposed cross-sectional brain area of cadaver heads from Holstein cows > 30 mo of age.

Penetrating captive bolt (PCB) is the primary method of preslaughter stunning for cattle and is also used for on-farm euthanasia. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of cooling on the soft tissue thickness, cranial thickness, total tissue thickness, and cross-sectional brain area of cadaver heads collected from mature (> 30 mo of age) dairy cows following the application of a PCB stun in a frontal placement. Hide-on cadaver heads were obtained from culled dairy cows (N = 37) stunned in a frontal location using a handheld PCB device (Jarvis Model PAS-Type C 0.25R Caliber Captive Bolt, Long Bolt) at a commercial slaughter establishment. Following transport to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, heads were split at midline along the bolt path by a bandsaw and then underwent FRESH, CHILL24, CHILL48, and CHILL72 refrigeration treatments. The FRESH treatment involved images collected immediately after splitting each head, the CHILL24 treatment involved images collected after 24h of refrigeration, the CHIL48 treatment involved images collected after 48h of refrigeration, and the CHILL72 treatment involved images collected after 72h of refrigeration. Measurements of soft tissue thickness, cranial thickness, total tissue thickness, and cross-sectional brain area were recorded for each refrigeration treatment. Soft tissue thickness did not differ caudal to (P = 0.3751) or rostral to (P = 0.2555) the bolt path. Cranial thickness did not differ caudal to (P = 0.9281) or rostral to (P = 0.9051) the bolt path. Total tissue thickness did not differ caudal to (P = 0.9225; FRESH: 24.77mm, CHILL24: 23.93mm, CHILL48: 24.27mm, CHILL72: 42.30, SE: 0.86) or rostral to (P = 0.8931; FRESH: 24.09mm, CHILL24: 23.99, CHILL48: 24.26, CHILL72: 24.43mm, SE: 0.79mm) the bolt path. Cross-sectional brain area was not different (P = 0.0971) between refrigeration treatments (FRESH: 9,829.65 ± 163.87mm2, CHILL24: 10,012.00 ± 163.87mm2, CHILL48: 9,672.43 ± 163.87mm2, CHILL72: 10,235.00 ± 166.34mm2). This study demonstrated that FRESH tissue parameters can be determined from cattle cadaver heads refrigerated for 24, 48, or 72h.

Influence of connective tissue grafts on implants in the aesthetic area: A systematic review. Are connective grafts essential?

Achieving adequate aesthetics with implants in the anterior sector continues to be a challenge. One of the most studied and currently used techniques is the use of autologous connective tissue grafts to improve the peri-implant soft tissues in this area. Our objective is to analyze whether these techniques have a predictable impact on the tissues and aesthetics; and if it is worth performing them. A bibliographic search was carried out, including different digital portals. A total of 8 articles were analyzed. This procedure did not have an impact on the hard tissue but did have an impact on gingival recessions and soft tissue thickness. Regarding aesthetics, the results are controversial. It seems that they can slightly improve the PES (Pink Esthetic Score or Pink Index). Also, a negative impact on the texture of the soft tissue has been found. It is necessary to individualize each case (especially depending on the gingival biotype) since taking a connective tissue graft from the palate entails discomfort for the patient, and this technique is not free of complications. Key words:Dental implants, aesthetics, connective graft.

Risk Indicators of Peri-Implant Diseases in Public and Private Clinics: A Multicenter Study.

Patients examined during postloading maintenance visits were included in this study. The presence of peri-implant mucositis, peri-implantitis and several patient- and implant-related independent variables was recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using the logistic regression analysis. The odds ratios (OR) of the potential association between each variable and the occurrence of peri-implant diseases were evaluated. Among the 114 participants with 403 implants, peri-implantitis was found in at least one implant of nine individuals (7.89%), and a total of 13 implants were affected by peri-implantitis (3.22%). The univariate regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between arch (OR = 4.81; 95% CI = 1.27-31.36) and soft tissue thickness (OR = 4.07; 95% CI = 1.33-13.73) with the occurrence of peri-implantitis. The multivariate analysis confirmed the significant impact of soft tissue thickness (OR = 3.60; 95% CI = 1.16-12.24). The occurrence of peri-implant diseases can be influenced by various factors. However, in order to accurately identify risk indicators, it is necessary to conduct long-term prospective studies.

Endovascular Management of an Unusual Mycotic Aneurysm of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery: A Case Report

Mycotic or infected Aneurysms (MA) are rare and typically affect major arteries. However, infective causes (mycotic) resulting in the formation of aneurysms in the Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) and Inferior Mesenteric Artery (IMA), despite their substantial rarity, are often symptomatic and may present acutely. Hereby, the authors present a case of a 29-year-old male patient who presented with abdominal pain, fever, and generalised weakness. Contrast-enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) of the abdomen revealed peripherally enhancing hypodense collections with air foci along the subhepatic, peri-splenic, peri-gastric, bilateral paravertebral, and posterior pararenal spaces, extending to the lumbar region. Furthermore, multilobar saccular outpouching with irregular margins and soft-tissue thickening was observed, originating from the proximal IMA. Pigtail drainage was performed, and culture showed the growth of polymicrobial flora. Due to the irregularity of the aneurysm, with a high-risk of rupture, coil embolisation of the IMA aneurysm was carried out. The imaging characteristics of infected aneurysms should alert clinicians and radiologists to the diagnosis, enabling timely treatment, which may involve endovascular techniques.

Cross-sectional study investigating the relationship between pit recovery time and serum albumin levels in bilateral lower extremity pitting oedema

ObjectivesIn this study, we re-evaluated the relationship between pit recovery time (PRT) and serum albumin levels and elucidated the factors influencing PRT.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingPatients who visited the outpatient department or were...

Predicting difficult airway in morbidly obese patients using ultrasound.

Difficult mask ventilation and difficult intubation are more common in obese patients. Ultrasound is a reliable and noninvasive method for evaluating the airway. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution and availability of anterior neck soft tissue (ANS) thickness at different levels, tongue volume (TV), hyomental distance (HMD), the ratio of preepiglottic distance to distance between the epiglottis and the midpoint of vocal cords (PE/E-VC) measured by ultrasonography in predicting difficult airway in morbidly obese patients. Between March 2020 and November 2020, patients aged ≥18 years with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥40 kg/m2 who underwent elective surgery under general anesthesia were included in this prospective study at Fırat University Hospital. During the preoperative evaluation of patients, ultrasound was used to measure and record TV, ANS thickness at different levels, HMD, and ratio of PE/E-VC. Patients with difficult intubation were identified using the Cormack-Lehane classification system. Patients whohad difficulties with balloon mask ventilation were recorded. Subsequently, the parameters of patients with easy and difficult intubation were compared. In addition, the parameters of patients with easy and difficult mask ventilation were also compared. The preepiglottic ANS thickness at the level of the thyrohyoid membrane and the PE/E-VC value in obese patients with difficult intubation were significantly greater than in obese patients with easy intubation (p < 0.001). In addition, TV (p < 0.001), preepiglottic ANS thickness at the thyrohyoid membrane level (p < 0.001), ANS thickness at the thyroid isthmus level (p = 0.002), ANS-suprasternal notch thickness (p = 0.004), and PE/E-VC (p = 0.005) values were significantly greater in obese patients with difficult mask ventilation. Ultrasound may be a useful tool for predicting difficult airway and difficult mask ventilation. For this purpose, ANS thickness at different levels, PE/E-VC, and TV values measured by ultrasound can be used.

Imaging in psoriatic arthritis: established methods and emerging techniques.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a heterogeneous, chronic, inflammatory musculoskeletal disease that can lead to peripheral and axial damage and loss of function. A clear difference between PsA and other forms of inflammatory arthritis is the different forms of bone remodeling seen in PSA which incorporates not only increased bone resorption with bone erosions, osteolysis, and loss of bone mineral density but also increased bone formation with periostitis, syndesmophytes, enthesiophytes, and ankylosis. PsA, if diagnosed late, will lead to significant structural damage, the most severe form of which is known as arthritis mutilans, and loss of physical function. Imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosing and monitoring both peripheral and axial conditions associated with PsA. Radiography is currently the main modality used to monitor structural damage in PsA though commonly used scoring systems do not include bony proliferation as a criterion. Besides, radiography is limited in determining the presence and cause of periarticular soft tissue thickening, which may arise from tendinosis, tenosynovitis, synovial proliferation, bursitis, or enthesitis. Recently, much more attention has been paid to determining the imaging characteristics of PsA, which enables more precise identification of disease and severity assessment. Newer imaging technologies also enable variations in normal bone microstructure to be distinguished from disease-related abnormality. This review discusses the current state of innovative imaging modalities in PsA, specifically concentrating on their roles in PsA diagnosis and treatment, improving the early detection of PsA, and identifying patients with skin psoriasis at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis.

Automatic measurement of fetal abdomen subcutaneous soft tissue thickness from ultrasound image based on a U‐shaped attention network with morphological method

AbstractFetal abdominal subcutaneous soft tissue thickness (FASSTT) is a key indicator in evaluating fetal growth, development, and nutritional status. Currently, manual measurement in FASSTT faces the problems of difficulty in positioning, time consumption, and inaccurate measurement. Therefore, this article proposes an automatic measurement scheme for FASSTT. Firstly, a U‐shaped attention network VGG‐SeUnet is proposed to automatically segment the subcutaneous soft tissue area of the fetal abdomen. Secondly, based on the segmentation results, a morphological method is proposed to obtain FASSTT. Specifically, the segmentation network uses VGG16 as the encoder and connects the decoder through jump connections for multi‐scale fusion. We introduce channel attention to jump connections, which enables the model to select key channels for feature fusion. At the same time, the model uses the proposed DF_Loss function for training to solve the problem of sample imbalance. Based on the segmentation results, a morphological distance transformation algorithm is proposed to obtain FASSTT by drawing the maximum inscribed circle and calculating its diameter. The method is evaluated on a fetal abdominal circumference ultrasound dataset containing 135 samples. The DSC, mIOU, mPA, Precision and Recall of the segmentation experiments reache 88.9%, 81.02%, 90.44%, 86.38%, and 90.44% respectively. The difference between FASSTT's result from that provided by radiologist is 0.0615 cm in Average Error (AVE) and 0.081 cm in Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The overall performance of this algorithm is superior to existing methods with excellent performance, and the measurement error is less than 1 millimeter. This result proves that the proposed scheme in this paper can achieve automated measurement of FASSTT and assist doctors in subsequent evaluation of fetal development and nutritional status.

Influence of CBCT Different Radiation Doses on Mandibular Soft Tissue Thickness Measurements

Influence of CBCT Different Radiation Doses on Mandibular Soft Tissue Thickness Measurements

Does CBCT provide an accurate method for assessment of the soft tissue thickness around immediate implants in the esthetic zone? A Retrospective Cohort Study

Does CBCT provide an accurate method for assessment of the soft tissue thickness around immediate implants in the esthetic zone? A Retrospective Cohort Study

Evaluation of upper airway ultrasonographic measurements in predicting difficult intubation: A cross-section of the Turkish population.

Studies have shown that there are differences in clinical evaluation parameters and difficult intubation rates among different ethnic populations. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of upper airway clinical and ultrasonographic measurement methods in Turkish population. Our study is a single-center, prospective, observational study conducted with 402 patients. All patients underwent clinical airway measurements which are routinely used in pre-anesthetic evaluation. In addition, ultrasonographic anterior neck soft tissue thickness measurements of each patient were made and recorded. Among the clinical measurements, we found the neck circumference/thyromental distance (TMD) ratio to be significant with a cut-off value of 5.5 and a sensitivity of 92.9% and a specificity of 88.3%, while among the ultrasonographic anterior neck measurements, we found the skin-epiglottic distance to be the most sensitive measurement. We found that there was a positive relationship between the neck circumference/TMD ratio and skin-epiglottis. In our study, we found that routine measurement methods used in airway examination alone are not sufficient, and measurements that take into account the body proportions of the patients, such as the neck circumference/TMD ratio and the ultrasonographic evaluations are more useful in predicting difficult intubation.

Imaging after Pancreatic Surgery: Expected Findings and Postoperative Complications.

Pancreatic surgery is considered one of the most technically challenging surgical procedures, despite the evolution of modern techniques. Neoplasms remain the most common indication for pancreatic surgery, although inflammatory conditions may also prompt surgical evaluation. The choice of surgical procedure depends on the type and location of the pathologic finding because different parts of the pancreas have separate vascular supplies that may be shared by adjacent organs. The surgical approach could be conventional or minimally invasive (laparoscopic, endoscopic, or robotic assisted). Because of the anatomic complexity of the pancreatic bed, perioperative complications may be frequently encountered and commonly involve the pancreatic-biliary, vascular, lymphatic, or bowel systems, irrespective of the surgical technique used. Imaging plays an important role in the assessment of suspected postoperative complications, with CT considered the primary imaging modality, while MRI, digital subtraction angiography, and molecular imaging are considered ancillary diagnostic tools. Accurate diagnosis of postoperative complications requires a solid understanding of pancreatic anatomy, surgical indications, normal postoperative appearance, and expected postsurgical changes. The practicing radiologist should be familiar with the most common perioperative complications, such as anastomotic leak, abscess, and hemorrhage, and be able to differentiate these entities from normal anticipated postoperative changes such as seroma, edema and fat stranding at the surgical site, and perivascular soft-tissue thickening. In addition to evaluation of the primary operative fossa, imaging plays a fundamental role in assessment of the adjacent organ systems secondarily affected after pancreatic surgery, such as vascular, biliary, and enteric complications. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Test Your Knowledge questions are available in the supplemental material. See the invited commentary by Winslow in this issue.

Use of Platelet-rich Fibrin in Immediate Implantation of Posterior Teeth and its effect on Soft Tissue Changes

Background: Immediate implant placement is favored as it reduces number of surgical appointments and overall reduces treatment duration.However, at times disadvantage of this proceduce is the inadequate dimension of soft tissue surrounding the implant, which presents a challenge forimmediate implantation in posterior teeth. . Due to which, patients frequently necessitate soft tissue augmentation to avoid potential complications.This study is minimally invasive technique which utilizing platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) which was employed to enhance soft tissuethicknessand keratinized tissue widthduring immediate implantation in the posterior region of the jaw. MethodsandMaterials: total 20 bone-level implants were utilized in 20different patients for the immediate implant procedure. As soft tissue augment , 10patients were treated with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on immediate implants in the test group, and the rest 10 patients received connectivetissue graft (CTG) on immediate implants in the control group. All implants were uncovered through surgery after 3 months andhealing abutments were placed on fixtures. The width of the Keratinized tissue was measured using a periodontal probe at baseline, and after 1 month, and 3 monthspost implant placement, where as softtissue thickness wasmeasured at baseline and 3 months post implantplacement.

Dimensiones tomográficas para la instalación de miniimplantes de expansión rápida maxilar en diferentes grupos de edad

Objective: The purpose of the research was to com-pare the dimensions of the upper jaw between different age groups for the installation of mini-implants for rapid maxillary expansion. Materials and Methods: The study was descriptive, retroprospective and observational. Cone beam computed tomography was used for the evaluation of 30 patients between 7 and 56 years of age, divided into three groups, ten up to 14 years, ten from 15 to 30 years, and ten from 31 years and older. The premolar and molar regions were selected for the measurement of the maxilla in the coronal plane, both bone and soft tissue. To compare the measurements, the Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the groups. The thicknesses of the bone tissue decreased from the first premolar to the second molar from 9.48 +/-3.71 mm to 5.40 +/-2.80 mm respectively, while the soft tissue thicknesses were more homogeneous with measurements of 0.56 +/-0.74 mm to 2.76 +/- 2.42 mm. Conclusions: The dimensions of the bone and soft tis-sue of the upper jaw, evaluated vertically for the installa-tion of mini-implants, were similar in all the age groups studied, with larger dimensions in men than in women at the premolar level. The dimensions of the maxilla for the palatal miniimplants were close to 9 mm in bone tissue and 3 mm of soft tissue at the level of premolars and 5 mm in hard tissue with 1 mm of soft tissue at the level of molars. Keywords: Palatal expansion technique; Dental im-plants; Mini implants; Maxilla; Cone-beam computed to-mography; Age groups

Comparisons of soft tissue changes after Herbst appliance treatment in three different growth phases

This study aimed to compare the soft tissue effects of Herbst appliance in Class II malocclusion patients treated in three different craniofacial growth phases: prepubertal (PRE), circumpubertal (CIR), and postpubertal (POS). In total, 95 patients with Class II Division 1 malocclusion previously treated with a Herbst appliance were analyzed. Through the cervical vertebral maturation stages method, patients were allocated into three groups depending on the growth craniofacial phase at the beginning of treatment: PRE, CIR, and POS. Seventeen cephalometric measures were evaluated from each lateral radiograph before and after Herbst therapy using the Radiocef 2 software (Radio Memory, Belo Horizonte). Intragroup and intergroup treatment changes were compared statistically using a paired t test and MANOVA test, respectively. Soft tissue thickness changes were related only to mandible; all three mandibular measurements (L1_LL, B_B', and Pog_Pog') showed thickening for the PRE group ranging from 0.92 mm (Pog_Pog') to 2.02 mm (B_B'), and only lower lip thickened overtime for the POS group (L1_LL = 0.99 mm). Soft and hard tissue pogonion displaced anteriorly, but only the soft tissue showed differences among groups; PRE group presented more anterior displacement than POS group (3.61 mm and 1.39 mm, respectively). Hard and soft tissue facial convexity decreased more in the PRE and CIR groups than in the POS group. Mentolabial sulcus depth reduced more in the PRE (1.07 mm) and CIR (1.29 mm) groups than in the POS (0.55 mm) group. Horizontal movement of the skeletal and soft pogonion presented a moderate-high positive correlation (r = 0.783), and hard and soft facial convexity showed a moderate-low positive correlation (r = 0.403). Herbst appliance therapy produces soft tissue improvements in the three phases of craniofacial growth, being greater in patients in the PRE and CIR phases.

Multimodal pain management in a dog with oral fibrosarcoma

AbstractAn 8‐year‐old lurcher presented at the Pain Clinic of the Queen Mother Hospital following a 7‐month history of progressive right‐sided facial pain that was poorly responsive to multimodal oral analgesia. Initial investigations had revealed dental changes. Despite appropriate treatment, the patient's clinical signs had deteriorated, resulting in the inability to chew, behavioural changes, and his owner's being unable to administer oral medication, all resulting in progressive weight loss. Computed tomography imaging revealed marked soft tissue thickening of the upper lip, extending along the infraorbital canal and periorbital inflammation. The biopsy confirmed fibrosarcoma. The patient received a multimodal analgesia approach, with systemic analgesia and electroacupuncture performed perioperatively. Neurolysis of the infraorbital nerve was also attempted using an alcohol solution. Following recovery from anaesthesia, the patient showed improved comfort and ate before leaving the hospital. Initial improvement was seen for a number of days at home; however, following this, the owners reported deterioration.

Evaluation of Soft Tissue Changes Following Platelet-rich Fibrin in Immediate Implantation of Posterior Teeth: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Currently, immediate implant placement is favored due to its reduced number of surgical appointments and shorter overall treatment duration. However, a notable disadvantage of this protocol is the inadequate dimension of soft tissue surrounding the implant, which presents a challenge for immediate implantation in posterior teeth. As a result, patients frequently necessitate soft tissue augmentation to alleviate potential complications. In this randomized clinical trial study, a minimally invasive technique utilizing platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) was employed to enhance soft tissue thickness and keratinized tissue width during immediate implantation in the posterior region of the jaw. Methods and Materials: A total of 20 bone-level implants were utilized in 20 patients through the immediate implantation protocol. In order to augment soft tissue, 10 patients were subjected to treatment with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on immediate implants in the test group, while 10 patients received connective tissue graft (CTG) on immediate implants in the control group. After a period of 3 months, all implants were uncovered through surgery, and healing abutments were placed on fixtures. Keratinized tissue width was measured using a periodontal probe at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after implant placement, while soft tissue thickness was measured at baseline and 3 months after implant placement. Results: Treatment was successful for all the patients. The average keratinized tissue width in the test and control group was 3.45 and 2.65 at baseline, 4.00 and 3.40 one month after surgery, and 4.20 and 3.85 three months after implant placement, respectively. Average keratinized tissue thickness in the test and control group was 2.45 and 2.05 at baseline and 3.20 and 3.25 at reentry (three months after implant placement), respectively. The average increase in keratinized tissue thickness from baseline to 3rd month was 0.75 in the test and 1.20 in the control group. The average increase in keratinized tissue width from baseline to 1st month was 0.55 in the test and 0.75 in the control group, and from baseline to 3rd month, it was 0.75 in the test and 1.20 in the control group, respectively. Data for both parameters in each group from baseline to 3rd month were statistically significant. Data for keratinized tissue thickness (p=0.077) and keratinized tissue width (p=0.089) between both the groups were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has the potential to serve as a minimally invasive approach for augmenting soft tissue in the posterior region of the jaw during immediate implant placement. Clinical Trial Registration Number: The clinical trial registration number for this study is IRCT20190723044313N1.

Harvest graft substitute for soft tissue volume augmentation around existing implants: A randomized, controlled and blinded multicenter trial.

Using a single-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter, practice-based clinical trial, a volume-stable collagen matrix (VCMX) was compared with connective tissue graft (CTG) for soft tissue augmentation around existing dental implants. Sixty patients (31 VCMX and 31 CTG) were included. The primary outcome was a soft tissue thickness change 3mm below the gingival margin (GM). Secondary outcomes included clinical measures, such as keratinized tissue widths (KTw), probing pocket depths, and pink esthetic scores, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO). There were no significant differences between test and control patient demographics or clinical measures throughout the 1-year study. VCMX "grafts" were by design larger than CTG, and surgery time was less (27% less, p=0.0005). Three millimeters below the GM (primary endpoint), tissue thickness increase was noninferior for VCMX compared with CTG (0.93±0.80mm vs. 1.10±0.51mm, respectively), inferior (by 0.25mm) at 1mm, and noninferior at 5mm. Postoperative pain was significantly less for VCMX patients (p<0.0001), but all other PRO measures, including esthetics and satisfaction, improved similarly for both therapies. Given the inclusion criteria for this study, namely soft tissue augmentation around existing implants with some evidence of KTw and minimal recession, VCMX provided soft tissue thickness and volume increases similar (noninferior) to CTG. Clinical measures and PRO were similar between therapies-site sensitivity and esthetics improved similarly for both therapies-but surgery time and pain following surgery were significantly less for VCMX.

Profilometric analysis of cross-linked collagen matrix for soft tissue thickness augmentation in dental implants: A randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Dental implantation is an effective method for rehabilitating patients without teeth. The long-term survival of implants is influenced by various factors, one of which is the condition of the soft tissue surrounding the implant.&#x0D; AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of cross-linked collagen matrix for soft tissue augmentation in the implant area.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with soft tissue thickness deficiency were examined. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the method of surgery. Group 1 received a cross-linked collagen matrix, whereas group 2 underwent the transplantation of a free connective tissue graft. The increase in soft tissue thickness was assessed 3 and 6 months after surgery.&#x0D; RESULTS: Soft tissue thickness 3 months after surgery increased by 1.77±0.61 and 1.26±0.41 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p 0.001). Moreover, 6 months after surgery, soft tissue thickness increased by 1.11±0.44 and 1.43±0.81 mm compared with the initial value (p=0.012).&#x0D; CONCLUSION: The use of the collagen matrix increases the soft tissue thickness in the implant area; however, the effect size is lower than that obtained by autograft transplantation.