Surgical treatment of buccal soft tissue recessions around single implants: 1‐year results from a prospective pilot study

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim</jats:title><jats:p>The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of a soft tissue dehiscence coverage technique, at single non‐submerged implant sites, presenting shallow isolated buccal mucosal recession.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Material and Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Sixteen patients were included in this prospective study. A connective tissue graft (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CTG</jats:styled-content>) was harvested from the maxillary tuberosity. The donor soft tissue was de‐epithelialized and trimmed with a mucotome for an optimal adaptation to the collar of the implant.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Surgery and healing proceeded with no complications and minimal post‐operative discomfort. One‐year follow‐up demonstrated clinical and esthetic improvements. Treatment resulted in 89.6 ± 13.1% mean coverage, and complete implant soft tissue coverage was achieved in nine of 16 cases, corresponding to a 56.3%. The <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">VAS</jats:styled-content> esthetic analysis showed a significant improvement from 3.6 ± 0.2 to 8.5 ± 0.3.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>These positive preliminary results suggest that, by means of the surgical technique presented, buccal soft tissue dehiscences around single implants can be successfully treated. Additional <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)</jats:styled-content> should be encouraged to assess the most effective variation to the technique in the various clinical situations and around implants of different designs.</jats:p></jats:sec>