LAUSR

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this randomized, controlled, split-mouth trial was to clarify the clinical efficacy of using low-level laser therapy (LLLT) as an adjunct to open flap debridement (OFD) in the treatment of periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted on 10 patients with Stage III periodontitis. Clinical parameters were recorded for 70 sites of periodontal pockets at baseline and after 3 months and included plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), relative gingival recession (RGR), and relative attachment level (RAL), and evaluated postoperative pain and dental hypersensitivity. After OFD, the sites were randomly divided into test sites receiving the low-level diode laser (wavelength 808 nm) and control sites treated with laser-off. The Wilcoxon test and Mann-Whitney Utest were used for intra- and inter-group comparisons, respectively, and the Friedman test to test between different periods. RESULTS Both treatments produced a reduction in GI, BOP, and PD, an increased RGR, and a gain in RAL between baseline and 3 months after surgery. There were significant improvements in GI, PD, and RAL after 3 months; postoperative pain after 24 hours and after 3 days; and dental hypersensitivity after 1 week and 1 month of the surgery, which significantly decreased in the test group. CONCLUSION Both groups were clinically effective in treating Stage III of periodontitis, with a significant preference in reduction of GI and PD and gain of RAL, and decreased postoperative pain (after 24 hours and 3 days) and dentinal hypersensitivity (after 1 week and 1 month) for OFD+LLLT. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The use of LLLT as an adjunct to OFD improved the clinical indices, postoperative pain, and dentinal hypersensitivity better than OFD alone in the treatment of Stage III periodontitis.