Acellular dermal allograft for vestibuloplasty--an alternative to autogenous soft tissue grafts in preprosthetic surgical procedures: a clinical report.

Various vestibular extension procedures have been described in the literature over the past 6 decades, including the use of free gingival grafts. An acellular dermal allograft has been used as a substitute for autogenous soft tissue grafts in root coverage procedures. This clinical report describes the use of such an allograft as a substitute for palatal donor tissue in the vestibular extension of an edentulous maxillary arch with multiple frenum attachments before fabrication of a complete denture. In this patient, healing was uneventful, and 6-month clinical observations demonstrated an apical positioning of the mucogingival junction with an increase in vestibular depth, and the absence of multiple frenae. The acellular dermal allograft appears to be a useful substitute for autogenous palatal grafts in preprosthetic surgery. This approach has many advantages over the free gingival graft, including no donor site morbidity, unlimited availability, and better color match.