As per the outcomes of a randomized controlled clinical trial issued in Clinical Oral Implants Research journal, the usage of free gingival graft (FGG) promoted considerably higher keratinized mucosa (KM) and the use of collagen matrix (CM) was the more preferred choice in terms of pain and analgesic usage in people with peri-implantitis.

Myroslav Solonko and colleagues compared the efficacy of a xenogeneic CM with the use of an autologous soft tissue FGG to augment the thickness of KM for the surgical therapy of peri-implantitis. The patients with peri-implantitis (n=49) were arbitrarily allocated to surgical resective therapy of peri-implantitis comprising on an apically positioned flap (APF) along with a KM augmentation procedure, either with an autologous FGG (APF + FGG; 23 patients) or CM (APF + CM; 26 patients), a month following the non-surgical treatment.

The increase in the thickness of KM and decrease in the probing pocket depth (PPD) at 1 year were considered as the primary outcomes. Peri-implant radiographic parameters and patient-reported outcomes were secondary outcomes. As found, the decrease in the PPDs was not statistically profound in any group. But, the increase in KM was notably higher in the APF + FGG group (2.5 mm) than APF + CM (1.6 mm).

The groups portrayed similar improvements in the clinical parameters. There was significantly increased peri-implant keratinized mucosa in both groups, but KM gain was considerably more in FGG. Also, the patients were more inclined towards CM considering pain relief and analgesic consumption, the study authors concluded.