{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T13:39:40Z","timestamp":1780321180723,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,23]],"date-time":"2025-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750636800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Dentistry Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Periodontal and implant therapies frequently require soft tissue augmentation for optimal outcomes. As the hard palate serves as the primary donor site, this study evaluated palatal masticatory mucosa thickness variations in a Saudi population of the Eastern Province using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) at a teaching dental hospital, providing site-specific data for clinical applications. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 215 CBCT scans from systemically healthy, non-smoking adults (&gt;18 years) was conducted at the University Dental Hospital. Measurements were taken at 12 standardized sites (3 mm, 6 mm, and 9 mm from the cementoenamel junction) across maxillary canines, premolars, and first molars. Statistical analysis included Friedman\u2019s test and t-tests. Results: Significant site variations were observed, with the second premolar region showing greatest thickness (3.48 \u00b1 0.80 mm at 9 mm) and the first molar region the lowest (1.88 \u00b1 0.63 mm at 3 mm) (p &lt; 0.001). Mucosal thickness generally increased coronally to apically (p &lt; 0.001). Age &gt;35 years correlated with significantly thicker mucosa (p &lt; 0.05), while no statistically significant gender-based differences were observed for all sites (p &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: CBCT provides reliable, non-invasive assessment of palatal mucosa thickness. These findings offer region-specific data for consideration in periodontal and implant procedures involving soft tissue grafting.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/dj13070283","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,23]],"date-time":"2025-06-23T04:50:05Z","timestamp":1750654205000},"page":"283","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Assessment of Palatal Masticatory Mucosa Thickness in the Saudi Population of a Teaching Hospital in the Eastern Province: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional CBCT Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5188-7965","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatima","family":"Al Zahra","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Fellowship in Periodontics Program, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Division of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suha","family":"Alyawar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fellowship in Periodontics Program, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Division of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1565-8820","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed","family":"Alsaati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Health, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4061-7059","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Afsheen","family":"Tabassum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontology, Rashid Latif Dental College\/Rashid Latif Medical Complex, Lahore 54600, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1652-5325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Faisal E.","family":"Aljofi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Division of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9332-3575","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mishali","family":"AlSharief","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Division of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed","family":"AlQranei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Division of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2552-587X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Khalid","family":"Almas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Division of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1902\/jop.1997.68.2.145","article-title":"The Thickness of Masticatory Mucosa in the Human Hard Palate and Tuberosity as Potential Donor Sites for Ridge Augmentation Procedures","volume":"68","author":"Studer","year":"1997","journal-title":"J. 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