Comparing Ora-Aid Oral Wound Dressing and Acrylic Palatal Stent for Postoperative Pain Relief After Free Gingival Graft Surgery

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to compare two methods for managing pain after free gingival graft FGG harvesting, a common dental procedure that can cause significant discomfort at the palatal donor site. The study evaluates the effectiveness of Ora-Aid, a hydrogel-based oral wound dressing, against a traditional acrylic palatal stent. The trial is randomized and single-blind, focusing on postoperative pain and other healing measures over several weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one group will receive a custom-made acrylic resin palatal stent, which covers the donor site and is retained for about two weeks with periodic removal for wound checks. The other group will receive the Ora-Aid dressing applied directly to the wound, fixed with sutures, and reapplied every 3 to 5 days as needed until healing is complete, typically within 10 to 14 days. During the study, participants will be monitored for pain levels daily for the first week using the Visual Analogue Scale VAS. Secondary outcomes include analgesic use, wound size measurements, patient satisfaction at one week, and color matching of the palatal mucosa over 42 days. Follow-up visits will assess healing progress and comfort, with the total observation period lasting six weeks after surgery.

Management of Postoperative Pain Following Free Gingival Graft Harvesting Using Ora-Aid Versus Acrylic Palatal Stent