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Is a soft tissue graft harvested from the maxillary tuberosity the approach of choice in an isolated site?
Author(s) -
Tavelli Lorenzo,
Barootchi Shayan,
Greenwell Henry,
Wang HomLay
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.036
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1943-3670
pISSN - 0022-3492
DOI - 10.1002/jper.18-0615
Subject(s) - soft tissue , medicine , connective tissue , dentistry , surgery , pathology
Soft tissue augmentation procedures are becoming more popular these days. Different soft tissue graft harvesting approaches have been proposed. Nonetheless, the location of the donor site (whether anterior‐, lateral‐, superficial‐, deep‐palate or the maxillary tuberosity) can affect the graft shape and its composition. Soft tissue grafts from the maxillary tuberosity are rich in connective tissue fibers, with minimal presence of fatty or glandular components. Clinical, histological, and molecular evidence shows that a soft tissue graft obtained from the maxillary tuberosity has unique properties. In addition, harvesting from this area presents minimal risk for intra‐ or postoperative complications, leading to reduced patient morbidity. The aim of this commentary is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of harvesting a soft tissue graft from the tuberosity and to compare it with the traditional palatal graft, while highlighting functional, esthetic, and patient‐related outcomes.