Peri-implant Tissue Stability Following Tissue Augmentation Harvested From Deep Palate or Tuberosity

Ridge resorption is a common finding after tooth extraction. Recently, there is an increasing concern about this issue during implant-supported reconstruction in the esthetic zone. Although the previous studies supports the guided bone regeneration procedures for reconstruction of contour deficiencies, the replacement of the mineralized materials with the bone has been questioned. Therefore, recently, using connective tissue grafts instead of allogenic or xenogenic materials has been addressed. The palate is routinely used as the donor site for harvesting the connective tissue graft. The graft can be harvested by de-epithelialized method or it can be harvested conventionally from deep palate during flap elevation. Another choice for harvesting the connective tissue graft is the tuberosity area, which can be used when you need small to moderate amount of soft tissue (around 1-2 implants). The connective tissues harvested from these sites have quite different characteristics, which might influence on the fate of the treatment in terms of the stability. therefore, we decided to compare the stability of the grafts harvested from the deep palate or tuberosity.