Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate and compare post-surgical healing and patient’s satisfaction in the treatment of gingival melanin hyperpigmentation using Zinc Oxide Non-eugenol periodontal dressing and Isoamyl 2-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive.
Method. Three patients were selected on the basis of Dummett-Gupta Oral Pigmentation Index [DOPI] (1984) that was seen especially in the maxillary anterior tooth region. Clinical photographs were taken preoperatively. The gingival depigmentation was performed with a combined technique using the scalpel and a high speed diamond bur under local anaesthesia. Subsequently, a split mouth technique was used for application of the post-surgical dressing; wherein isoamyl 2-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive was applied in the first quadrant (site A), after proper isolation to avoid accidental adherence and a non-eugenol periodontal dressing was placed in the 2nd quadrant (site B). Clinical photographs were taken immediately after the procedures and at the 1st, 2nd, and 4th week postoperatively to evaluate the healing response. The patients were also asked to fill a questionnaire about any pain or discomfort using the Visual analogue scale and the Gingival Index (Loe H and Silness J 1963) was recorded at all the recall visits.
Results: During the 1st postoperative week, at the site A, the patients complained of moderate pain and discomfort and the gingiva appeared erythematous; whereas at site B, the patient did not complain of any pain or discomfort and the healing was uneventful. Two weeks after the procedure, the patient had no complaints and clinically, the gingiva showed almost complete healing at both the sites .Four weeks after the procedure, there was significant improvement in gingival healing response.
Conclusions: The Non-eugenol periodontal dressing and Isoamyl 2-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive seemed to be effective for gingival depigmentation procedure. However the periodontal dressing showed better and uneventful healing in the first week postoperatively as compared to the tissue adhesive. Eventually after four weeks the results on both the sites were similar.
