Maintenance of Soft Tissue Closure Following Guided Bone Regeneration: Technical Considerations and Report of 723 Cases

The purpose of this paper is to present simple clinical techniques which have been utilized in a significant number of consecutive cases to maintain primary closure throughout the course of regeneration. The maintenance of soft tissue primary closure following guided bone regeneration (GBR) therapy, while considered a considerable challenge, is recognized as contributing to the maximization of therapeutic results. A retrospective analysis of the maintenance of such soft tissue primary closure following the utilization of specific mucoperiosteal flap designs during GBR surgery in 723 consecutively treated cases was carried out. Soft tissue closure was maintained over the membranes for the course of regeneration (a minimum of 6 months) in 695 cases (96.1%). The maintenance of soft tissue primary closure following GBR therapy may be predictably attained through proper surgical planning, technical care, and appropriate postoperative management.