Palatal donor site management using tissue adhesives with adjunctive coconut oil in a randomized clinical trial

Management of the complications occurring in the donor area after epithelialized gingival graft (EGG) harvesting still poses a challenge for clinicians. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of gelatin sponge (GS), cyanoacrylate (CY), and coconut oil (CO) combination in comparison with GS+CY in donor site management. Fifty EGG were harvested from the lateral palate in 50 patients, who were subsequently randomized to receive the GS+CY (control) or GS+CY+CO combination (test). Postoperative pain perception (PP), quantity of analgesics (QA), epithelization level (EL), color match (CM), sensation loss (SL), postoperative discomfort (PD), and delayed bleeding (DB) were evaluated. The GS+CY+CO group showed lower PP scores compared to the GS+CY (p<0.05). The QA intake was similar in both groups. On day 14, the GS+CY+CO group achieved 80% full EL rate, which was higher than the GS+CY group (32%) (p=0.002). CM scores were higher in the GS+CY+CO group at all follow up periods (p<0.001). Both groups reported similar SL, PD, and DB values (p>0.05). GS+CY+CO combination is more effective in reducing pain compared to GS+CO in donor site management after EGG harvesting. Additionally, GS+CY+CO combination may accelerate epithelialization and improve color match compared to GS+CY alone.