Current concepts of surgical methods to increase mucosal thickness during dental implantation \u200e

Abstract

The importance of soft tissues for the maintenance of peri-implant tissue health is one of the most discussed topics in dental implantology. Numerous studies confirm that the presence of soft tissues affects the aesthetic result and the long-term survival of dental implants. It was suggested that surgical procedures aimed to increase peri-implant mucosa improve outcomes of implant treatment. This literature review aims to make an overview of methods of soft tissue management around dental implants. The analysis of available publications, which consider surgical methods to achieve soft-tissue volume gain during dental implantation showed that recently more and more data on the successful use of collagen matrices in mucogingival surgery are accumulated. However, there are no fundamental investigations related to application of substitute materials in various clinical situations. Consequently, it must be admitted that more randomized studies regarding the comparative analysis of various methods of increasing the soft tissue thickness around dental implants are required.