Spontaneous Pigmentation of Non‐Pigmented Palatal Tissue After Periodontal Surgery

Background: A 22‐year‐old African American female was referred for augmentation of keratinized gingiva around implants at the right and left maxillary second premolar sites. Presurgical evaluation revealed generalized melanosis of the buccal gingiva and a lack of keratinized tissue around implants a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of periodontology (1970) 2010-01, Vol.81 (1), p.172-176
Main Authors: Holtzclaw, Dan, Toscano, Nicholas J., Tal, Haim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Case report
Dental Implants
Dentistry
Female
gingiva
Gingiva - physiology
Gingival Recession - surgery
Humans
Medical sciences
Mouth Mucosa - physiology
Mouth Mucosa - transplantation
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Palate
pigmentation
Pigmentation - physiology
Tissue Transplantation - physiology
wound healing
Wound Healing - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Background: A 22‐year‐old African American female was referred for augmentation of keratinized gingiva around implants at the right and left maxillary second premolar sites. Presurgical evaluation revealed generalized melanosis of the buccal gingiva and a lack of keratinized tissue around implants at sites #4 and #13. No pigmentation was noted on the palatal tissues. Methods: Thick free gingival grafts were harvested bilaterally from the non‐pigmented palate and secured to the recipient sites with bioabsorbable sutures. Hemostasis was achieved at the palatal donor sites with moistened gauze, and an acrylic stent was delivered for patient comfort. Results: Both palatal donor sites healed with spontaneous pigmentation. The pigmentation intensified with time but resulted in no adverse outcome. Conclusions: Post‐surgical healing in patients with gingival pigmentation is not entirely predictable, as multiple studies have demonstrated widely inconsistent results in regards to gingival pigmentation upon healing. When performing periodontal plastic surgery in patients with pigmented oral tissues, it is important to discuss all possible outcomes, including spontaneous pigmentation.
ISSN:0022-3492
1943-3670
DOI:10.1902/jop.2009.090289