Clinical evaluation of a novel minimally invasive technique for the management of keratinized gingiva deficiency around dental implants

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of dental implantation, insufficient keratinized gingiva around dental implants remains one of the most common causes of biological complications, impaired oral hygiene, and reduced patient satisfaction with treatment outcomes. Conventional surgical approaches for increasing the width of attached gingiva have demonstrated clinical effectiveness; however, they are frequently associated with additional surgical trauma and postoperative discomfort. Therefore, the development of minimally invasive techniques integrated into the provisional prosthetic stage and based on a soft tissue — supportive prosthetic design remains a relevant objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a novel minimally invasive technique for soft tissue deficiency management around dental implants.
Materials and methods.
The study included 48 patients aged 30—64 years who had previously undergone dental implant placement. Patients in the control group received implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitation according to a conventional treatment protocol. Patients in the study group underwent prosthetic treatment using a novel technique for the correction of keratinized attached gingiva deficiency around dental implants. Clinical and patient-reported outcome measures were used to assess peri-implant tissue conditions.
Results.
Application of the proposed technique during provisional prosthetic rehabilitation resulted in a 27.2% increase in the width of attached gingiva after 6 months (p=0.005), a 49% reduction in the plaque index (p<0.001), and a 54% reduction in the bleeding index (p<0.001). The prevalence of gingival stippling was 58% higher in the study group (p=0.008). Pain intensity was 39.6% lower (p<0.001), while overall patient satisfaction with treatment outcomes was significantly higher (p<0.001).
Conclusions.
The proposed minimally invasive technique demonstrated clinical effectiveness in increasing the width of attached gingiva around dental implants, reducing inflammatory manifestations in peri-implant soft tissues, shortening the rehabilitation period, and improving patient comfort during treatment.