Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Recently, acellular dermal matrix allograft has been widely used in the repair of oral mucosal defects. But little information is about the heterogeneous acellular dermal matrix (HADM) patch for repair of oral mucosal defects.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and biosafety of HADM in the repair of oral mucosal defects.
METHODS: In total 71 patients with oral benign or malignant tumors who had oral mucosal or soft tissue defects following tumorectomy were included in this study. These patients comprised 37 males and 34 females, and were averaged 45 years (range, 20-70 years old). Of them, 42 suffered from benign tumors and 29 from malignant tumors. HADM patches were used for repair of oral mucosal defects. The survival, color, and texture of HADM patches were observed. Shrinkage rate of HADM patches was compared between regions without supports from hard tissues (cheeks, tongue, and mouth floor) and with supports from hard tissues (gingiva, hard palate).
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All 71 HADM completely survived. No necrosis and infection occurred. At 2 weeks after transplantation, (98.20±5.20) % of patch area survived. At 3 months after transplantation, patches showed similar color to surrounding oral mucosa and most patients had sense of tension to different extents. At 6 months after transplantation, cell creeping substitution and vascularization were successfully accomplished in the region of patch transplantation. Patches grew stably, with smooth pink appearance and good elasticity, and no further shrinkage. Patients felt normal. HADM patch shrank primarily at 2 weeks-1 month after transplantation, and tended to be stable at 3 months. There was no significant difference in tissue morphology between surgical region and normal tissue. The HADM shrinkage rate was significantly higher in regions without supports from hard tissues than regions with supports from hard tissues. These findings indicate that HADM patches have advantages in repair of oral mucosal defects including good histocompatibility, wide source, simple manipulation, and able to cover the wound surface in the early state, promote wound surface healing, and reduce scar formation, and can be used as an ideal material for repair of oral mucosal defects.