Clinical Comparison of Topical Application of Platelet Rich Fibrin Versus Application of Hyaluronic Acid Gel In Pain Management And Wound Healing After Free Gingival Graft Harvesting: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the ability of platelet rich fibrin (PRF) versus hyaluronic acid (HA) in decreasing the postoperative pain and promoting healing in the palatal wound following harvesting free gingival graft (FGG). Methods: 26 patients with narrow zone of keratinized tissue seeking for orthodontic treatment requiring FGG for soft tissue augmentation were randomly assigned into two equal groups; HA group where the palatal wound was covered by 0.2% HA gel or PRF group where the palatal wound was covered by PRF. Both were then covered by non-eugenol periodontal pack. Assessment of postoperative pain for both groups was recorded using the Numerical Pain Score (NPS) (1-10) for a period of 7 days. Healing of the palatal wound was assessed using Landry Healing Index at day 3, 1st, 2nd, 3rd weeks and 42 days. Results: Post-operative pain assessed using the NPS showed no statistically significant difference between HA and PRF groups in all time intervals. All patients had reduction in postoperative pain following the harvesting of FGG after 1 week. For the palatal wound healing, there was a statistically significant difference between the two treatment modalities at week 1 in favor for PRF group (P=0.002), while at day 3, week 2, week 3 and 42 days, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.678, 0.088, 0.155 and 0.460) as both of them improved the healing of the palatal wound. Conclusion: Both treatment modalities (0.2 % HA gel and PRF) reduced the post-operative pain and improved the palatal wound healing following harvesting of FGG. Conflict of interest and source of funding statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The study was self-funded