Periodontal soft tissue reconstruction

Abstract

The last 30 years have seen the development of biomaterials for the reconstruction of periodontal tissues. This chapter focuses on biomaterials used for the reconstruction of gingival tissues for the management of mucogingival defects, most commonly for the purpose of root coverage following recession or for the increase of keratinized tissue width. Autografts perform well but require a secondary harvest site that frequently results in patient discomfort and postoperative complications and offers a limited quantity of donor tissue. Various allogenic, xenogenic, and alloplastic biomaterials have been developed and tested as an alternative to autografts to overcome these disadvantages. While autografts remain the gold standard, several biomaterial alternatives have shown promising outcome. With the tremendous advances being made in periodontal science and technology, tissue engineering could also be considered among the latest exciting techniques for periodontal soft tissue management. This chapter provides an overview of the biomaterials currently used and looks at contemporary research with a view to what may be used in the future.