Alternative Methods for Soft Tissue Grafts around Dental Implants: A Literature Review

 Soft tissue grafts are used around dental implants for different purposes. Autogenous soft tissue graft techniques have yielded favorable results. However, these techniques increase the duration of surgery and postoperative complications. Allogeneic and xenogeneic tissues have advantages over autogenous grafts. Numerous studies have reported successful treatment outcomes with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) as an alternative to autogenous soft tissue for treating mucogingival defects around dental implants. This study aimed to review various soft tissue techniques around dental implants.

 In this systematic review, a search was run in four databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane until January 2020 with these key words: soft tissue augmentation, dental implants, keratinized gingiva and acellular dermal matrix.

 Autogenous connective tissue graft is the gold standard technique for increasing the thickness of soft tissue around dental implants. The use of allogeneic materials as an alternative to these tissues is associated with some advantages.

 ADM is a suitable alternative for autogenous connective tissue grafts to increase the thickness and width of keratinized tissue around dental implants.