TISSUE ENGINEERING AND ANTI-AGING - Intelligent Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine - page 713

gingival segment. The biopsy sample is small (5 mm diameter), and
the expected outcome includes low morbidity and minimal scar for-
mation.Inaddition,gingivalbiopsycanbeeasilyperformedinagen-
eral dental practice, which may be advantageous for patients with
dental implants.
To return to the subject, hyaluronic acid (HA) is a constituent
of the ground substance of the normal dermis and has consider-
ablewater-bindingcapabilities,whichinfluencedermalvolumeand
compressibility. 3 , 4 It is a glycosaminoglycan composed of repeat-
ing dimeric units of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-glucosamine,
whichprovideafluidmatrixonwhichcollagenandelasticfiberscan
develop.Itisobtainedfromeitheravianorbacterialculturesources.
Its derivatives that are used for soft-tissue augmentation are cross-
linked to decrease proteolytic degradation rates. HA is highly suited
for soft-tissue augmentation because it is insoluble, resists degra-
dation, does not migrate, and retains a high water content. A major
advantage of HA is due to the fact that its chemical structure is uni-
form throughout all living species, rendering a minimal chance of
immunogenicity. Therefore, pretreatment allergic skin testing is not
necessary. Also, unlike collagen products are colorless; therefore,
they can be injected superficially without concern of discolorations
showing through the skin. The effect of soft-tissue augmentation by
HAappearsimmediately.Thehandlingoftheseproductsisgenerally
considered to be superior to bovine collagen because of easier flow
rates. Additionally, they need not be refrigerated; however, if they
are exposed to heat, monomers will form, which can contribute to
inflammation.
Inanefforttoobtainresultsthatlastforalongeramountoftime,
a combination of cultured fibroblasts and stabilized HA has been
developed. The aim of this article was to introduce the longevity of
the filling effect, in terms of resorption time, of cultured fibroblasts
witha HA matrix.
35.2 Materials and Method 1
This Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study enrolled
seven patients who were treated in our clinic. The study population