Electrocautery Assisted Harvesting of Free Gingival Graft to Increase the Width of Attached Gingiva - An Uncommon Case Report

Procuring a free gingival autograft for the purpose of gingival augmentation has been advocated in areas of inadequate width of attached gingiva that result in gingival recession and/or accumulation of local factors. As obtaining the graft from the palatal donor site with conventional scalpel techniques can result in problems such as prolonged bleeding, increased surgical time and patient discomfort, alternative methods have been advocated to procure such grafts using lasers and electrocautery. This case report elaborates, a free gingival graft harvested for the purpose of increasing the width of attached gingiva using electrocautery principles. The parameters assessed included the extent of patient reported discomfort at the donor site and clinical gain of keratinized and attached gingival width.