Abstract: As a part of periodontal plastic surgery, the soft tissue augmentation procedure is widely used to augment the keratinized gingiva or mucosa around teeth and implants to enhance periodontal defense and prevent further recession. At present, the most commonly used soft tissue augmentation procedures include free gingiva graft (FGG), subepithelial connective tissue graft(SCTG)and bilaminar techniques. The main donor site for a connective tissue graft is the hard palate. So a detailed understanding of the anatomy, histology and thickness of hard palate is crucial to a successful surgery. This article reviews the anatomy and thickness of the hard palate to provide some guidance of surgery design, risk assessment and prognosis.

Key words: periodontal soft tissue augmentation procedure, hard palate mucosa, Gingival biotype