Effect of aloe vera hydrogel on the scarring and healing of free gingival graft: Randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: Several studies have used aloe vera hydrogel to enhance various tissues regeneration to reduce scar formation in wounds. This study aimed to prepare a hydrogel specified for the oral cavity and observe scar formation and healing of free gingival graft after its application compared with the natural healing and scaring of the graft without any material. Design: This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial that included 22 patients with a width of attached gingiva less than 2 mm. after preparing the aloe vera hydrogel and completing the laboratory stage, the hydrogel was randomly applied for 11 patients after the free gingival graft procedure while the other 11 patients did not use any material after the same surgery. Landry’s scale was used to assess the healing index, scarring was evaluated using Mucosal Scarring Index. Results: The healing index was higher in the intervention group with a statistical difference P<0.05 than the control group after three weeks. Moreover, Scar formation in the intervention group was less in the intervention group with a significant difference P<0.05 after 1,2,3,6 months. Conclusion: Within the limitations of our study, the aloe vera hydrogel can be considered as a good topical treatment after oral surgery due to its ability to reduce scar formation and speeding up the healing in the receiving area in free gingival graft procedures.

Keywords

• free gingival graft
• aloe vera
• hydrogel
• scarring