title: Self-reported pain perception of patients after mucosal graft harvesting in the palatal area.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the patient-reported pain perception after palatal graft harvesting during a 4 weeks healing period
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety patients, scheduled for different periodontal and peri-implant plastic surgeries requiring palatal mucosal graft harvesting, were consecutively recruited. Mucosal thickness was measured at the donor sites with an ultrasonic device prior to the surgeries. Graft thickness, length, and width were assessed after harvesting, and the wound areas were calculated. Based on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the patients were asked to report their perceived pain after the intervention and 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days thereafter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pain was most pronounced on the first postoperative day and decreased within the course of time. Graft thickness directly correlated with the amount of pain perceived while increased palatal mucosal thickness before and after graft harvesting decreased pain levels. The denuded wound surface area, however, did not influence the perceived pain level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The wound depth at the donor site (graft thickness) was positively correlated with the patient's perception for pain. The wound surface area, however, did not influence the perceived pain level.
authors.affiliation: The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China; University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burkhardt
authors.forename: Christoph H F
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hämmerle
authors.forename: Niklaus P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D064592:Autografts / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000145:classification; D010159:Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D057566:Self Report; D012907:Smoking; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*; D060053:Transplant Donor Site / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: connective tissue harvesting; mucogingival surgery; pain perception; soft-tissue augmentation