Research Article

Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application

Volume: 27 Number: 2 August 31, 2026
TR EN

Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) and ozone therapy on patient-perceived postoperative morbidity at palatal donor wounds following free gingival graft (FGG) harvesting. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients who underwent FGG surgery were included in this prospective observational clinical study. Patients were allocated into three groups according to the postoperative approach used: control (n=20), HA (n=20), and ozone (n=20). Ozone gas was applied to the palatal wound surface in the ozone group, whereas an oral gel containing 0.8% hyaluronic acid was used in the HA group. No adjunctive treatment was applied in the control group. Postoperative morbidity was assessed on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, and 14 using a 0–10 Numerical Rating Scale for pain, speech discomfort, eating discomfort, swallowing difficulty, and oral dryness. Results: Significant between-group differences were identified only for speech discomfort and swallowing difficulty on postoperative day 3. Participants receiving HA or ozone therapy reported lower scores for both parameters than those in the control group (p<0.05). For pain, a reduction was evident exclusively in the ozone group on day 1, whereas by day 3 both adjunctive treatment groups exhibited reduced pain levels relative to the control group (p<0.05). Oral dryness was less pronounced in the ozone-treated participants on postoperative days 1 and 3 (p<0.05). Across the entire study population, all morbidity measures progressively decreased throughout the follow-up period (p<0.001). Conclusion: Both hyaluronic acid and ozone applications improved patient comfort by reducing patient-perceived morbidity during the early postoperative period following FGG surgery. Ozone application demonstrated earlier beneficial effects, particularly on pain and oral dryness. However, no statistically significant superiority was detected between the two treatment modalities.

Keywords

Project Number

2026/1-3

Ethical Statement

The study protocol was approved by the Adıyaman University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine and Pathology, Periodontics

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

August 31, 2026

Submission Date

June 21, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 16, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 27 Number: 2

APA
Tekbaş, İ., Altuğ, Ş., Kartal, C., & Çalışır, M. (2026). Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application. Dicle Dental Journal, 27(2), 43-50. https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG
AMA
1.Tekbaş İ, Altuğ Ş, Kartal C, Çalışır M. Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application. Dicle Dent J. 2026;27(2):43-50. https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG
Chicago
Tekbaş, İsmail, Şahin Altuğ, Cafer Kartal, and Metin Çalışır. 2026. “Palatal Donor Site Morbidity Following Free Gingival Graft Harvesting: Effects of Ozone Therapy and Hyaluronic Acid Gel Application”. Dicle Dental Journal 27 (2): 43-50. https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG.
EndNote
Tekbaş İ, Altuğ Ş, Kartal C, Çalışır M (August 1, 2026) Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application. Dicle Dental Journal 27 2 43–50.
IEEE
[1]İ. Tekbaş, Ş. Altuğ, C. Kartal, and M. Çalışır, “Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application”, Dicle Dent J, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 43–50, Aug. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG
ISNAD
Tekbaş, İsmail - Altuğ, Şahin - Kartal, Cafer - Çalışır, Metin. “Palatal Donor Site Morbidity Following Free Gingival Graft Harvesting: Effects of Ozone Therapy and Hyaluronic Acid Gel Application”. Dicle Dental Journal 27/2 (August 1, 2026): 43-50. https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG.
JAMA
1.Tekbaş İ, Altuğ Ş, Kartal C, Çalışır M. Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application. Dicle Dent J. 2026;27:43–50.
MLA
Tekbaş, İsmail, et al. “Palatal Donor Site Morbidity Following Free Gingival Graft Harvesting: Effects of Ozone Therapy and Hyaluronic Acid Gel Application”. Dicle Dental Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 43-50, https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG.
Vancouver
1.İsmail Tekbaş, Şahin Altuğ, Cafer Kartal, Metin Çalışır. Palatal donor site morbidity following free gingival graft harvesting: effects of ozone therapy and hyaluronic acid gel application. Dicle Dent J [Internet]. 2026 Aug. 1;27(2):43-50. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA52CT67GG