CLOSED HEALING OF THE PALATE MUCOSA: INDEX ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Assessment of wound healing in the oral cavity is essential for clinical decision-making after soft tissue surgical procedures. In palatal donor sites managed with wound coverings, direct visual evaluation of epithelialization is limited, creating the need for a dedicated and standardized closed-healing assessment tool.

To describe and clinically validate the Closed Palatal Mucosal Healing Index (CPMHI) for the assessment of palatal donor site healing under conditions of wound coverage.

A total of 192 patients undergoing surgical treatment involving palatal donor tissue harvesting were initially enrolled as part of a broader clinical dataset. For the purposes of CPMHI validation, the present study specifically analyzed two groups (Groups 3 and 4; n=64) in which the donor site was managed using a collagen sponge fixed with sutures and covered with either ethyl or butyl cyanoacrylate adhesive. Clinical evaluation of healing was performed on postoperative days 7 and 14 using the CPMHI. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare healing dynamics between the two groups.

On postoperative day 7, the majority of patients in both groups demonstrated satisfactory healing (CPMHI score 3), with no statistically significant differences between Group 3 and Group 4 (p>0.05). By day 14, most patients achieved good or excellent healing (CPMHI scores 4-5), indicating effective integration of the wound covering and minimal inflammatory response. No statistically significant intergroup differences were detected at either time point (p>0.05).

The Closed Palatal Mucosal Healing Index demonstrated clinical applicability, objectivity, and convenience for assessing palatal wound healing in the presence of wound coverings. CPMHI represents a reliable tool for standardized evaluation of closed healing dynamics in clinical practice and research settings.