Comparative evaluation of efficacy of volume stable collagen matrix in interdental papilla reconstruction as compared to connective tissue graft in maxillary esthetic region: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: The present study compared and evaluated the efficacy of volume-stable collagen matrix (VCMX) and subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) in interdental papilla reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants with class II interdental papilla loss (n = 36) were randomly assigned to test (VCMX) and control (SCTG) groups. Papillary height (PH), distance from the contact point to the tip of the papilla (CP-TP), keratinized tissue width (KTW), gingival tissue thickness (GT), and periodontal parameters were assessed at baseline,1, 3, and 6 months. Patient comfort and healing were also evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) at 1 week and healing index (HI) at 1,2 and 3 weeks post-operatively. RESULTS: On intragroup comparison from baseline to 6 months, a statistically significant gain in papillary height, reduction in CP-TP, and an increase in KTW and GT was found in both groups (p = 0.001). Both groups found statistically significant improvement in the healing index from 1 to 3 weeks (p = 0.001). On intergroup comparison, VCMX showed comparable results to SCTG at 6 months, while VAS showed a statistically lower value in VCMX than SCTG (p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: VCMX and SCTG were found to be equally effective in interdental papilla reconstruction in terms of gain in papillary height and reduction in CP-TP distance. VCMX resulted in less post-operative pain compared to SCTG. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: VCMX may be preferred for interdental papilla reconstruction by clinicians and individuals due to its unlimited availability, which eliminates the need for an additional harvest site and reduces morbidity.