Efficacy of Acellular Dermal Matrix in Soft Tissue Augmentation Around Dental Implants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study was done to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the studies on the efficacy of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in increasing the soft tissue thickness (STT) and keratinized mucosal width (KMW) around dental implants. The PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, and ProQuest databases were searched by July 2020 to retrieve relevant studies. Depending upon the heterogeneity of included studies, the weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% CI was calculated using either fixed or random-effects model. Based on the meta-analysis of 6 studies, the effect of ADM on STT and KMW was significant (WMD: 1.07 [95% CI: 0.34–1.79], P = .004, and WMD: 1.99 [95% CI: 0.88–3.09], P < .001, respectively). Further, a comparison between the efficacy of the ADM and the control group, which included the autogenous soft tissue augmentation techniques, showed no statistically significant differences between groups (STT: WMD: 0.24 [95% CI: −0.26 to 0.74], P = .161 and KMW: WMD: −0.23 [95% CI: −0.68 to 0.22], P = .324). The subgroup analysis showed that simultaneous augmentation and implant placement were increased by 0.23 mm in the KMW, and the placement of ADM around loaded implants caused 0.5 mm decrease in the KMW, which was not statistically significant. Accordingly, it is possible to substitute ADM for soft tissue augmentation around dental implants.