Our study looks into how the thickness of the gum tissue affects the health of the bone around dental implants over ten years. We include 59 people and divide them into three groups based on their gum tissue thickness. Some have naturally thin gums, some have thin gums that were made thicker with a special procedure, and some already had thick gums. We try to find out if having thicker gums, whether naturally or through enhancement, can help keep the bone around dental implants healthy in the long run.

The protocol of our study focuses on understanding the impact of gum tissue thickness on the stability of the bone surrounding dental implants over a period of ten years. We enroll 59 participants and categorize them based on their initial gum thickness. The study groups included participants with naturally thin gums, participants whose thin gums were surgically enhanced with an allogenic tissue matrix to increase thickness, and participants with naturally thick gums. We monitore the bone levels around the implants using X-rays at baseline and annually, assessing any changes in bone health and stability. Our objective is to determine if and how the thickness of gum tissue influences long-term bone preservation around dental implants, aiming to provide insights into better implant care and outcomes.

The inclusion criteria for the study were individuals aged 18 years or older, generally healthy with no medical contraindications for implant surgery, missing teeth in the lower jaw posterior area, at least 6 mm bone width, healthy soft tissue, at least 2 mm keratinized gingiva buccally and lingually, no bone augmentation procedures before or during implant placement, and a signed informed consent form. The exclusion criteria included poor oral hygiene, history of uncontrolled periodontitis, smoking, diabetes, alcoholism, and medication influencing healing.

We plan to make de-identified individual participant data (IPD) from our study on dental implant techniques available to other researchers upon request.