Techniques for the protection and coverage of the donor sites in free soft tissue grafts

Palatal donor sites used for free soft tissue grafts are commonly left exposed during healing which occurs by secondary intention. This often results in postoperative discomfort and pain and in some cases apparent delayed healing of the donor sites. Various techniques for the protection and coverage of donor sites have been presented and the rationale, advantages and disadvantages of coverage of gingival wounds have been discussed.