Article:

Soft tissue problems (ie, gingival recessions) are common in implantology and are often associated with thin soft tissue biotypes or buccally placed implants. Goaslind described 2 types of biotypes commonly found in the natural dentition: thick and thin. It has been suggested that thicker soft tissue biotypes are associated with less tissue recession, higher crestal bone levels, and better aesthetics. A thin tissue biotype has been shown to be more prone to tissue recession. Gingival recession is always associated with alveolar bone dehiscences. Furthermore, there is evidence that thick soft tissue may be protective against crestal bone loss (ie, tissue thickness of ,2.5 mm resulted in crestal bone loss of 1.45 mm vs. thicker tissues had 0.26 mm). This protective effect occurred, despite the supracrestal position of the implant-abutment interface.