Clinical outcomes of diode laser as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy for residual periodontal pockets in mandibular second molars-a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of diode laser as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) for residual periodontal pockets in mandibular second molars. Sixty-seven mandibular second molars (154 residual periodontal pockets) were recruited into the study and randomly assigned to the Laser + NSPT group and the NSPT group. The Laser + NSPT group underwent NSPT adjunct with diode laser radiation (wavelength: 810nm, power: 1.5 W, 40s maximum), while the NSPT group underwent nonsurgical periodontal therapy alone. Clinical parameters were measured at baseline (T0) and 4(T1), 12(T2), and 24(T3), weeks after treatment. Periodontal pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP) in both groups showed significant improvements at the end of study compared to baseline. The reductions of PPD, CAL, and BOP in the Laser + NSPT group were significantly greater than NSPT group. At T3, the Laser + NSPT group had a mean PPD of 3.06 ± 0.86mm, CAL of 2.58 ± 0.94mm and BOP of 15.49%, while the NSPT group had a mean PPD of 4.46 ± 1.57mm, CAL of 3.03 ± 1.25mm and BOP of 64.29%. The diode laser as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy may contribute to clinical outcomes for residual periodontal pockets. However, the approach may cause reductionof keratinized tissue width. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200061194. Diode laser as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal therapy may contribute to the clinical outcomes for residual periodontal pockets in mandibular second molars.