Gingival Unit Graft Versus Free Gingival Graft: 18-Month Digital Color Analysis

July 15, 2026 updated by: Sanubar Shakiliyeva, Bezmialem Vakif University

Clinical Outcomes and Digital Color Stability of Gingival Unit Graft Versus Free Gingival Graft: An 18-Month Comparative Digital Photographic Color Analysis Study

The purpose of this retrospective clinical study is to compare the long-term aesthetic integration and clinical outcomes of two periodontal plastic surgery techniques: Gingival Unit Grafting (GUG) and Free Gingival Grafting (FGG). The study evaluates the effectiveness of these procedures in increasing keratinized tissue width and assesses the color integration of the grafted tissues with the surrounding gingiva over an 18-month follow-up period using objective digital color analysis based on CIE Lab and RGB parameters.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This single-center retrospective study included patients treated with either Gingival Unit Grafts (GUG) or Free Gingival Grafts (FGG) for the management of Cairo Type 2 and Type 3 gingival recessions between March 2022 and December 2022. Clinical and photographic records obtained at baseline and during follow-up visits up to 18 months were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome was the evaluation of color integration of the grafted tissues using objective digital color analysis based on CIE Lab and RGB parameters. Secondary outcomes included changes in keratinized tissue width. The aim of the study was to compare the long-term aesthetic integration and clinical performance of GUG and FGG and to determine which technique provides superior color matching with the surrounding tissues.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Fatih
      • Istanbul, Fatih, Turkey (Türkiye), 34093
        • Bezmialem Vakif University, Faculty of Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adult patients seeking treatment for localized gingival recessions on mandibular incisors at a university faculty of dentistry.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Systemically healthy individuals aged between 18 and 65 years
  • No systemic diseases contraindicating periodontal surgery
  • Not taking medications known to exert adverse effects on periodontal tissues
  • Presenting with Cairo Type 2 (RT2) or Type 3 (RT3) localized gingival recessions on mandibular incisors
  • Presence of ≤1 mm of attached gingiva resulting in difficulty maintaining plaque control
  • Full-mouth plaque and gingival index scores ≤1
  • Bleeding on probing (BOP) <10%
  • No history of prior soft tissue surgery in the designated area

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals who are pregnant or lactating.
  • Presenting with gingival recession or prosthetic restorations at the donor site (maxillary premolar palatal region).
  • Cases demonstrating caries, abrasions, or restorations on the root surfaces of the related teeth.
  • Individuals with known allergies to dental impression materials.
  • Periodontal pocket depth greater than 3 mm.
  • Tooth malposition.
  • Endodontic complications.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Gingival Unit Graft (GUG) Group
Patients who underwent periodontal plastic surgery using Gingival Unit Grafts for keratinized tissue gain
Procedure: Gingival Unit Grafting
Harvesting a gingival unit graft and transplanting it to the recipient area to increase keratinized tissue width and assess long-term aesthetic integration.
Conventional Free Gingival Graft (FGG) Group
Patients who underwent periodontal plastic surgery using Conventional Free Gingival Grafts for keratinized tissue gain
Procedure: Conventional Free Gingival Grafting
Harvesting a conventional free gingival graft and transplanting it to the recipient area to increase keratinized tissue width and serve as a control group for aesthetic integration.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Aesthetic Integration (Color Evaluation)
Time Frame: Baseline and 18 months post-surgery
Objective assessment of color integration between the grafted tissue and the surrounding gingiva using digital color analysis. Color parameters were evaluated based on the CIE Lab* color space system and RGB color channels obtained from standardized clinical photographs. The degree of color matching between grafted and adjacent tissues was assessed over the follow-up period.
Baseline and 18 months post-surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Keratinized Tissue Width (KTW)
Time Frame: Baseline and 18 months post-surgery
The clinical measurement of the width of keratinized tissue in millimeters, evaluated from the gingival margin to the mucogingival junction using a standard periodontal probe to determine the amount of tissue gain.
Baseline and 18 months post-surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Bezmialem Vakif University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 15, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • No: 2024/304

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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