Anatomy of the palate: Harvesting of free, connective, and rotated gingival graft Literature Review

Abstract

The hard plate, as the donor area for harvesting gingival grafts, is chosen in most cases because is considered the gold standard anatomical structure for this procedure. This structure varies in its anatomy according to each patient. The palatal vault is classified as deep, average, or flat. Over the years, various surgical techniques have been proposed for taking free or connective gingival grafts, published by various authors. Some of these techniques are: harvesting of a free gingival graft, trap door, parallel incision, single-incision, deepithelialized free gingival graft, and roll technique. The complete healing of the tissue varies according to the scarring, whether it is first or second intention. This is completed 3 months post operation. During or after surgery, complications may occur that must be taken into consideration since the case planification. The objective of this study is based on conducting a narrative literature review on the anatomy of the palate, anatomical considerations for graft harvesting, indications, and contraindications for the execution of the process, techniques for free, connective, and rotated graft harvesting, complications that could occur during treatment and healing.