Introduction
Following tooth extraction, several sequential events arise causing significant qualitative and quantitative alterations at the edentulous site. Socket healing process results in ridge dimensional changes of the underlying bone, as well as the overlying soft tissue architecture [
1]. Loss of soft tissue contour following tooth extraction could persist after healing, regardless of the utilization of alveolar ridge preservation techniques. As a result, clinicians seek different surgical techniques to restore the post-extraction hard and soft tissue volume loss [
2]. Since esthetics is the main concern for most patients, soft tissue grafting is becoming a routine in the daily clinical practice [
2,
3], to compensate for the diminished supra-crestal tissue dimension that usually occurs following tooth loss and implant placement [
4]. Such procedures have a role in increasing tissue thickness, re-establishing an adequate width of keratinized tissue, correcting mucogingival deformities, and improving esthetics around teeth and dental implants [
5‐
7]. Moreover, the presence of a sufficient quantity and quality of soft tissues play a chief role in the long-term maintenance of peri-implant health [
8]. However, recent retrospective study reported no difference in volumetric, linear changes, and peri-implant conditions between implant sites with or without soft tissue grafting over a period of 12 years [
9].
The concept of performing soft tissue augmentation on the buccal side of the extraction socket following tooth extraction was adopted by many experts and clinicians, in order to stabilize the soft tissues and compensate for the buccal concavity that arises after tooth loss [
10]. Meanwhile, there is an extensive body of evidence proving that subepithelial connective tissue grafts (SCTGs) are considered the gold standard in ridge contour augmentation procedures [
11‐
14]. Previous review articles and systematic reviews concluded that various therapeutic approaches are built on SCTG-based procedures and that SCTG is superior in soft tissue correction and augmentation surgeries [
13,
15,
16]. This is in agreement with the conclusions of the latest consensus report of group 2 of the SEPA/DGI/OF workshop [
17]. The authors stated that superior esthetic outcomes were observed in the presence of a thick mucosa; the connective tissue graft remains the standard protocol of care in terms of increasing mucosal thickness.
Based on the current available literature, clinical research related to dimensional alterations post tooth extraction mainly focused on the hard tissue modeling, while the impact of soft tissue healing in post-extraction sites received a little consideration. The investigation of post-extraction soft tissue volumetric changes in future clinical trials was strongly recommended in the latest consensus report on the management of the extraction sockets and timing of implant placement [
18]. Given the existing gap of knowledge, this randomized clinical trial aimed to volumetrically assess the alveolar ridge contour after soft tissue augmentation using SCTG buccal to fresh extraction sockets in patients with thin buccal bone, versus minimally-traumatic extraction followed by spontaneous healing with no soft tissue augmentation procedure.
Discussion
Several techniques were suggested for alveolar ridge contour preservation including immediate implant placement, socket grafting, guided tissue regeneration concept, platelets concentrate, or other protocols like socket seal surgery and partial extraction therapy [
2,
15,
25‐
27]. Despite their effectiveness and predictability, there are still few drawbacks regarding the esthetic outcome, since they mainly focus on hard tissue regeneration [
28‐
30]. Furthermore, none of the proposed protocols could entirely avoid the soft tissue remodeling phenomenon, even some cases resulted in an esthetic discrepancy with an observed buccal concavity [
31‐
33]. With regard to the above-mentioned gap of knowledge, the present trial targeted only the impact of soft tissue augmentation by SCTG on the post-extraction volumetric changes of buccal soft tissue contour.
Soft tissue augmentation techniques, such as bilaminar technique/coronally advanced flap and the pouch procedure with CTG, have emerged to address esthetic concerns in previous techniques. Such protocols showed predictability and improved soft tissue dehiscence and volume loss around dental implants [
34‐
36]. Moreover, Marzadori et al. [
37] concluded that the pouch technique with SCTG is the ultimate choice for soft tissue augmentation, particularly in areas of high esthetic demands, maintaining color and soft tissue appearance. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first randomized controlled clinical trial comparing minimally-traumatic extraction with SCTG to minimally-traumatic extraction followed by spontaneous healing, investigating the influence of soft tissue management in fresh extraction sockets using volumetric analysis. No socket sealing material was used in the present study, in order to allow the inflammatory phase of the socket healing to begin [
38], without any factors that might influence the healing process. Thus, this randomized clinical trial investigated the influence of soft tissue management solely in fresh extraction sockets via volumetric analysis without any confounding factors.
Post-extraction volumetric buccal soft tissue change is of utmost clinical interest, since the loss of root convexity may lead to unfavorable esthetic results and requires additional augmentation procedures. Accordingly, linear volumetric change of buccal soft tissue contour was considered the primary outcome in this study together with vertical tissue loss, gingival thickness, and interdental papilla height. A 6-month postoperative evaluation period was chosen based on the recommendation that final restorative measures should not be initiated until 6 months. Furthermore, qualitative and probably quantitative alterations can arise during the healing period of the augmented soft tissue [
21,
22]. The accuracy of volume measurement with optical scanning-based digital technologies showed tremendous precision and high reproducibility [
39]. Consequently, digitalized volumetric analysis was used to assess the linear volumetric change of buccal soft tissue contour and vertical tissue loss in the present clinical trial.
The findings presented herein showed that minimally-traumatic extraction followed by spontaneous healing without soft tissue augmentation caused a significant decrease in the buccal soft tissue contour, vertical tissue level, gingival thickness, and interdental papillae height after 6 months compared to baseline. These findings align with previous studies investigating spontaneous socket healing [
40,
41]. Schneider et al. [
40] observed buccal contour loss in spontaneously healing sites compared to sites treated with ridge preservation techniques. This was also supported by Thoma et al. [
41] who reported a buccal soft tissue collapse of 1.2–1.6 mm in unassisted healing sites. The current study confirms the unsatisfactory esthetic results in unassisted socket healing presented in the literature [
42,
43]. However, Clementini et al. [
44] reported an increase in buccal soft tissue profile and thickness in unassisted healing sites after 4 months, attributing it to spontaneous soft tissue thickening phenomena. Similarly, Chappuis et al. [
45] observed spontaneous soft tissue thickening in thin bone phenotypes after 8 weeks. This discrepancy might be attributed to the fact that the current investigation evaluated the outcomes after 6 months, representing the full maturation of hard and soft tissues at the extraction site [
38]. Regarding the interdental papilla height, the minimally-traumatic extraction followed spontaneous healing group showed decreased IDP heights over time, likely due to the thin phenotype of the treated sites. Previous studies on papilla fill around implant restorations supported these results, indicating that gingival phenotype influenced papilla volume/fill [
46‐
48].
On the other hand, results of this clinical trial showed that the use of SCTG buccal to extraction sockets significantly preserved buccal soft tissue contour, reduced vertical tissue loss, increased gingival thickness, and maintained interdental papillae height after 6 months. These findings were consistent with previous studies showing the benefits of SCTG in improving soft tissue profiles and correcting alveolar ridge contour defects [
22,
24,
34,
49‐
51]. Furthermore, utilizing SCTG with a pouch preparation buccal to fresh extraction sockets limited post-extraction soft tissue alterations and yielded positive outcomes. These observations were supported by a recent systematic review by Zucchelli et al. [
16], which emphasized the esthetic improvement and long-term stability achieved with SCTG in managing ridge deformities in the esthetic zone. The volumetric buccal soft tissue changes from baseline to 6 months in the SCTG group revealed a mean ± SD change of − 0.53 ± 0.40, − 0.11 ± 0.44, and 0.14 ± 0.50 mm at 1.5 mm, 3 mm, and 4.5 mm from the free gingival margin, respectively. These results were superior to the use of “saddled” connective tissue graft combined with biomaterials [
34] and were inferior to those reported by De Bruyckere et al. [
24] who compared SCTG with GBR to reestablish ridge profile at the buccal aspect of single implants. These differences might be attributed to the different timing of interventions and prosthetic involvement in shaping the augmented soft tissue. It is worthy to mention that the baseline assessment in this investigation was performed with the presence of the natural tooth transgingival support. Besides, no soft tissue shaping occurred during the follow-up period. Remarkably, the currently observed findings might suggest that the use of the pouch and SCTG technique might conceal the post-extraction buccal concavity.
The current statistical analysis revealed that all the outcomes measured in the minimally-traumatic extraction with SCTG group surpassed those of the minimally-traumatic extraction followed spontaneous healing group solely with no soft tissue augmentation after 6 months. These observations suggest that the presence of the SCTG might effectively increase the soft tissue volume and mask the post-extraction contour deficiencies, especially in the esthetic zone. Furthermore, the increased gingival thickness observed after the use of SCTG might imply its ability to act as a biologic filler, improve the stability of the interdental tissues, and enhance the gingival phenotype. The current data sheds light on the effectiveness of the pouch and SCTG technique in preserving alveolar ridge contour during post-extraction modeling and remodeling. Future studies are warranted to explore the influence of intraoral scanners on volumetric analysis, in addition to examining the use of prosthetic devices and their impact on soft tissue shaping after augmentation.
One of the limitations of the present clinical trial was that a third arm of bone graft placement into the socket as well as connective tissue graft should have been performed. Another limitation was that IDP measurements were not calibrated.
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