The effects of probiotic use on wound healing of palatal region after soft tissue graft

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of probiotics solution conta-ining Lactobacillus reuteri, whose positive effects on systemic and oral health are known, on the healing of open wound surface in the palatal region after the free gingival graft operation. The study was conducted on 24 systemically healthy patients aged between 18-55 years with localized gingival recession in the anterior mandible in a rando-mized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled design. Individuals were grouped into probiotics or placebo (Sterile saline). After the epithelialized graft was taken from the palatal region, all individuals applied topical probiotic or serum physiology 1 drop (2.107 active lyophilized L. reuteri) to the wound area on the palate twice a day for 10 days. Post-procedure epithelialization was evaluated with the H2O2 method. The VAS scale was used to evaluate color and pain, and the Verbal Desc-ription Scale (SDS) was used to evaluate sensitivity at 7th-14th-21st and 28th days and 6 months. The results of the study showed that VAS-color was found to be statistically significantly higher in the study group on the 14th and 21st days (p<0.05). There was no significant differences between the groups in terms of epithelialization and VAS- Pain. It was observed that the loss of sensitivity was less on the 28th day in the study group (p<0.05). According to these findings, positive effects of topical probiotic application in terms of color-match and sensitivity were observed after graft removal from the palatal region. However, further studies are needed to increase the effectiveness of the application. Keywords: Free gingival graft, Palatal wound healing, Probiotics