Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of hyaluronic acid (HA) gel injections in deficient papillae and record the effects for four weeks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen deficient class 1 papilla sites according to Nordland and Tarnow classification were included. After scaling and root planing, 0.5 ml HA gel was injected into the papillae. Measurements of black triangle height (BTH) and black triangle area (BTA) from the contact point to the most coronal level of the visible papilla tip were done on the clinical photographs using ImageJ software at baseline, one week, and four weeks postoperatively, and a comparison was made. Descriptive data were examined using the mean and standard deviation (SD). Paired t-test was used for intragroup comparisons, with p-values <0.05 considered significant. All the data analysis was done using SPSS software version 25.0. RESULTS: There was a mean decrease in the BTA from baseline (0.54 mm(2)), one week (0.13 mm(2)), to four weeks (0.26 mm(2)) with a slight loss of papilla volume from the first week to the fourthweek, and this decrease in area was statistically significant. A mean decrease in the BTH throughout the follow-ups from baseline (1.36 mm) to the first week (0.30 mm) to the fourth week (0.73) was recorded with a slight loss of papilla volume from the first week to the fourthweek, and this decrease in height was also statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, the decrease in the BTA and BTH recorded was more from baseline to the first week as compared to baseline to the fourth week postoperatively. CONCLUSION: HA gel is an effective treatment for minimally invasive papilla augmentation, particularly in class I Nordland and Tarnow papilla deficits.