TOMOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF PALATAL MUCOSA THICKNESS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH THIN AND THICK BIOTYPES
Periodontal Biotype, Palatal Mucosa, Cone Beam Computed Tomography.
INTRODUCTION: The identification of periodontal biotypes is an important tool in the diagnosis and prognosis of periodontal treatments, since they are involved in the tissue response to inflammation and trauma. In the treatment of gingival recession, the palatal region has been described as the main graft donor area. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the difference of the palatal mucosa thickness in individuals with thin and thick biotypes, evaluated in different regions. METHODS: The study included 30 periodontally healthy patients submitted to cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. The gingival thickness was evaluated in the maxillary central incisors and categorized into thin and thick biotype. Then, the thickness of the palatal mucosa was measured in the canine, 1st premolar, 2nd premolar and 1st molar at 3mm, 6mm, 9mm and 12mm from the gingival margin. All parameters were measured tomographically. RESULTS: According to the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests, there was no statistical difference in mucosal thickness between the groups and between the different teeth analyzed (p> 0.05). The Friedman test showed that, in all analyzed teeth, the furthest from the gingival margin, the thickness of the palatal mucosa (p <0.0001) was higher. CONCLUSION: In the analyzed sample, the palatal mucosa thickness was not correlated to the type of patient biotype and there was no statistical difference between the different teeth evaluated. However, it was observed that, independently of the tooth, areas more distant from the gingival margin may be better suited to grafting procedures because they have a higher tissue thickness.