Soft Tissue Augmentation Around Dental Implants - a Systematic Review.

Authors

Aishwarya Duble, Hiroj Bagde, Tapaswi Kamble, Ankita Agrawal

Published in

Maedica. Volume 21. Issue 2. Pages 516-523.

Abstract

Peri-implant soft tissue characteristics, including keratinized mucosa (KM) width and mucosal thickness (MT), are critical for long-term implant health and aesthetics. Soft tissue augmentation (STA) procedures aim to enhance these parameters, but the medium- to long-term comparative efficacy of available techniques remains unclear.
To evaluate the medium- and long-term predictability of peri-implant soft tissue augmentation techniques in maintaining peri-implant health, keratinized mucosa width, mucosal thickness, marginal tissue stability, aesthetics and patient-reported outcomes over follow-up periods ranging from six to 60 months.
Following PRISMA guidelines, randomized controlled trials with at least 10 participants per arm, follow-up of six to 60 months and peri-implant soft tissue augmentation performed with bilaminar or apically positioned flap techniques were included. Autogenous grafts and substitute materials, including collagen matrix, acellular dermal matrix and volume-stable collagen matrix, were compared with alternative augmentation methods or non-augmented controls.
Twenty-seven randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Implant survival exceeded 95% across studies. Connective tissue grafts consistently produced the greatest gains in keratinized mucosa width, mucosal thickness, soft tissue margin stability and aesthetic outcomes, particularly in anterior and aesthetic sites. Autogenous grafts generally demonstrated better marginal bone level preservation, while volume-stable collagen matrix showed acceptable long-term stability with reduced donor-site morbidity.
Connective tissue graft remains the most predictable method for long-term peri-implant soft tissue stability and aesthetics. Substitute materials such as acellular dermal matrix, collagen matrix and volume-stable collagen matrix are useful alternatives when reduced morbidity is prioritized, although their outcomes are more variable.

PMID:
42416748
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Jul 2026.

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