Patient morbidity at the palatal donor site depending on gingival graft dimension

Autogenous gingival grafts are considered the gold standard procedure with proven clinical success when it comes to gingival augmentation. Different graft harvesting procedures have been described in the literature. Understanding which factors might affect the level of discomfort (morbidity) that patients are likely to experience and oral health-related quality of life outcomes in general seems to be crucial.

An evaluation of patients' morbidity depending on the free gingival graft (FGG) dimension.

Sixty patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the length of their graft (group L1: ≤10 mm, group L2: 10-20 mm, group L3: ≥20 mm) and into 2 groups depending on the thickness of the graft (group T1: ≤2 mm, group T2: >2 mm). Discomfort at the donor site was evaluated 1 week postoperatively, using a visual analog scale (VAS).

With the length of the FGG, the mean VAS scores for pain, bleeding, eating and speaking disorders, stress and interference with social life increased. Analgesic consumption increased with the length of the graft. The thicker the grafts, the less discomfort and pain, and more problems with speaking, stress, daily and work routines occurred; however, without statistical significance.

No differences were demonstrated in the post-operative patients' morbidity between the examined groups; however, pain gradually increased with the FGG length and width.