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Published on: August 13, 2019
Soft Tissue Augmentation Techniques and Materials Used in the Oral Cavity: An Overview
Jan Wolff1, Elisabet Farré-Guasch, George K Sándor
1*Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, VU University Medical Center/Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. †Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Oral Cell Biology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ‡Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Medical Research Center, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. §Head Professor, Department of Oral Cell Biology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Professor of Skin and Mucosa Regenerative Medicine, Head of Dermatology Lab, Department of Dermatology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ¶Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, VU University Medical Center/Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ‖Head Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, VU University Medical Center/Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Purpose:
Oral soft tissue augmentation or grafting procedures are often necessary to achieve proper wound closure after deficits resulting from tumor excision, clefts, trauma, dental implants, and tooth recessions.
Materials And Methods:
Autologous soft tissue grafts still remain the gold standard to acquire a functionally adequate zone of keratinized attached gingiva. However, soft tissue substitutes are more commonly used because they minimize morbidity and shorten surgical time.
Results:
This review aimed to assess soft tissue grafting techniques and materials used in the oral cavity from existing literature. There are a large variety of materials and techniques, including grafts, local flaps, allogenic derived matrices such as acellular dermal allograft, xenogenic tissue matrices from animal origin, and synthetic materials.
Conclusions:
Tissue engineering of oral mucosa represents an interesting alternative to obtain sufficient autologous tissue for reconstructing oral wounds using biodegradable scaffolds, and may improve vascularization and epithelialization, which are critical for successful outcomes.
