Nano-emodin mediated photodynamic therapy for wound healing of donor site after free gingival graft: A parallel clinical trial

Abstract

AimThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nano-emodin (n-Emo) mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an adjunctive therapy to conventional wound care in patients undergoing free gingival graft (FGG) treatment. The study employed a single-center, parallel, two-blind, randomized, controlled trial design. Method and materialA total of 53 patients requiring FGG treatment were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the n-Emo mediated PDT group, the n-Emo gel group, and the control group. The n-Emo mediated PDT group received n-Emo gel on donor site followed by LED (450 nm, 1000 ± 1400 mW/cm2, 60–80 J/cm2, 60 s), the n-Emo gel group received only n-Emo gel on donor site, and the control group received a placebo gel on donor site. All groups received treatment immediately and 48 h after FGG surgery. Wound healing was assessed based on wound area, bleeding, color match, and epithelialization. Postoperative pain perception was evaluated using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the number of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) intakes was recorded. ResultsThe results showed that all groups demonstrated significant improvement in wound healing by day 28, with the n-Emo mediated PDT exhibiting significantly better healing on the 14th, 21st, and 28th day compared to the control group. Additionally, on the 28th day, the n-Emo mediated PDT showed significantly better healing than the n-Emo gel group. The n-Emo mediated PDT also had significantly lower pain scores than the control group. There were no significant differences in the number of NSAID intakes, bleeding, or color match among the groups, but all groups showed improved color match during follow-up. By the third week, all groups had fully epithelialized without significant differences, and no secondary bleeding incidents were reported. ConclusionThe study concludes that n-Emo mediated PDT is an effective adjunctive therapy to conventional wound care for managing complication after surgery at donor site after FGG surgery.