Increasing the width of periodontal attached gingiva using an Nd:YAG laser and GTM: results of a clinical study.

Abstract

Demonstrate a new technique to increase the width of keratinized gingiva using a biological membrane material in place of donor tissue. Most current surgical techniques require donor tissue as a graft to increase keratinized gingiva, which results in a second trauma site for the patient. Using an Nd:YAG laser with contact tip. Laser energy at settings of 3.0-6.0 W continuous mode. Local anesthetic, lidocaine 2% and epinephrine 1:100,000, was administered. A mucogingival flap was made to the periosteum and reflected, followed by placement of a biological membrane, and sutured into place, over the surgical site. A total of 20 sites were treated on 20 different patients of 15 mandible and 5 maxillary sites. The average increase for all sites was 3.8 mm of keratinized gingiva per site. No adverse events (e.g., bleeding, allergic reactions, abscesses, or pain) after any of the treatments were noted during the entire observation. The treatment procedure led to significant improvements in width of gingiva. The 20 patients were pleased with this new technique using the Nd:YAG laser with contact tip. It may be concluded that the new procedure provides significant increase of keratinized gingiva with the advantage of minimal morbidity and pleasing cosmetic results. Further clinical studies are needed to compare traditional procedures with the laser augmentation technique.