CLINICAL APPLICATION OF THE PALATAL MUCOSAL OPEN HEALING INDEX FOR EVALUATION OF PALATAL DONOR SITE HEALING.

INTRODUCTION

Modern oral surgery requires objective and reproducible tools for assessing soft tissue healing. The Palatal Mucosal Open Healing Index (PMOHI) is a clinical parameter that enables standardized monitoring of epithelialization and tissue repair following surgical interventions.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the significance of the Palatal Open Healing Index as a clinical criterion for monitoring and predicting soft tissue regeneration.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A total of 192 patients diagnosed with localized gingival recession underwent clinical examination and surgical treatment. Following free gingival graft harvesting, patients were divided into six groups according to the management technique of the palatal donor site. Palatal donor site healing under open wound conditions was assessed using the Palatal Mucosal Open Healing Index (PMOHI).

RESULTS

Clinical evaluation of donor site healing was performed on postoperative days 7 and 14. Healing without coverage was assessed using a 5-point scale according to the PMOHI. On day 7, in group 1: 21.9% of cases were scored as 1 (very poor healing: initial epithelialization <10%, bleeding); 68.7% scored 2 (poor healing: epithelialization ≤20%, fibrin coating); 9.4% scored 3 (satisfactory healing: epithelialization up to 40%). In group 6 (with protective stent): 84.4% scored 4 (good healing: epithelialization up to 70%), and 3.1% scored 5 (complete healing). These differences between groups were statistically significant (p≤0.001). Pairwise comparisons demonstrated that group 6 (with stent protection) had significantly better outcomes than groups 1, 2, and 5 (open healing). In most patients, open wound management on day 7th was associated with poor or very poor healing.

CONCLUSION

The palatal open healing index is an informative and versatile tool that provides a standardized assessment of regenerative processes, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy, prognosis, and the effectiveness of treatment strategies in surgical dentistry.