Autogenous masticatory mucosal grafts in extraction socket seal procedures: a comparison between sockets grafted with...

Successful preservation of the edentulous ridge after extractions may eliminate or reduce the need for ridge augmentation procedures. It has been claimed that grafting fresh extraction sockets and sealing them with autogenous soft tissue grafts promote ridge preservation after tooth extraction. In this study, the survival of free autogenous connective tissue grafts sealing extraction sites was evaluated. In 24 healthy patients, 42 maxillary anterior teeth were extracted. After socket debridement, soft tissue margins of the socket orifice were carefully cut to remove epithelial debris, Sockets were filled with either demineralized freeze-dried bone allografts (DFDBA) or deproteinized natural bovine bone mineral xenograft (DBBMX) to the level of the alveolar bone crest. Circular connective tissue grafts, slightly larger in diameter than the soft tissue socket orifice, were obtained and placed on top of the filler graft material sealing the sockets. Grafts were stabilized and secured by sutures and inspected weekly for the first month. The grafts were classified into 3 groups according to clinical parameters: vital, partially vital and non-vital. After 1 week, 18 grafts were vital, 13 partially vital and 11 non-vital. When only 1 sample unit (1 site per patient) was compared between DFDBA and DBBMX grafted sockets, no significant difference in graft vitality was shown (P = 0.34 for vital; P = 0.67 for vital plus partially vital). After 1 month, all socket orifices were sealed with mucosa. Based on the present observations, it seems that connective tissue grafts sealing fresh extraction sites are mainly dependent on underlying tissue vascularization and that sealing grafted fresh extraction sockets filled with bone substitute allograft or xenograft materials may be beneficial but an unpredictable procedure.