Palatal Donor‐Site Healing and Patient‐Reported Outcome Measures Following Chitosan and Injectable Platelet‐Rich Fibrin‐Enriched Chitosan Application Compared with Gelatine Sponge: A Three‐Arm Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial
Randomized trial demonstrates enhanced palatal wound healing and reduced pain with i-PRF-enriched chitosan after gingival grafting, indicating improved recovery and patient comfort.
Key Points
To compare clinical healing outcomes and patient-reported measures following the application of a gelatine sponge, chitosan sponge, or injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF)-enriched chitosan sponge at palatal donor sites after free gingival graft harvesting.
Conducted a three-arm randomized controlled clinical trial in 68 patients assigned to i-PRF + chitosan (n = 22), chitosan alone (n = 23), or gelatine sponge control (n = 23).
Evaluated the primary outcome of palatal early healing index (PEHI) alongside secondary outcomes including pain, burning sensation, dietary changes, bleeding, analgesic consumption, and color match across 56 days.
Both chitosan-containing groups demonstrated significantly higher PEHI scores than control at day 14 (median [95% CI]: control 8.0 [7.0–8.0], chitosan 8.0 [8.0–9.0], i-PRF + chitosan 9.0 [8.0–9.0]; p < 0.001) and day 28.
The i-PRF + chitosan group experienced significantly less pain, burning sensation, and dietary disruption on days 3 and 7 compared to other groups (p < 0.05), while bleeding and painkiller consumption were similar across arms (p > 0.05).
Both chitosan-based treatments achieved significantly improved color match relative to the control sponge at days 14, 28, and 56 (p < 0.001).