Peri-implant keratinized mucosa (PI-KM) may support implant survival. Acellular collagen matrices (aCMs) have been widely used to facilitate soft tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes obtained with the use of an aCM (mucoderm®) to enhance PI-KM. In this retrospective non-randomized case series, 27 restored implants in 14 patients (eight males and six females, mean age = 56 years) with a PI-KM width ≤ 1 mm were followed for 6 months. It was demonstrated that aCM grafts augmented PI-KM effectively (mean increase of 5.4 mm; >533%) without a significant change in bleeding on probing (BOP) from baseline. The mean aCM shrinkage was 3.9 mm (42%). Gender, area, arch, and BOP did not influence PI-KM augmentation or aCM shrinkage significantly. The present results demonstrated that the examined aCM was effective and predictable for attaining a band of keratinized tissue, while avoiding graft donor site harversting.
Keywords: collagen; collagen matrix; dental implants; keratinized mucosa; soft tissue augmentation.