Clinical effectiveness of diode laser therapy as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment: a randomized clinical study.

Background: The aim of this randomized clinical study is to evaluate the effect of a 980-nm diode laser as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) treatment.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with chronic periodontitis were selected for the split-mouth clinical study. SRP was performed using a sonic device and hand instruments. Quadrants were equally divided between the right and left sides. Teeth were treated with SRP in two control quadrants (control groups [CG]), and the diode laser was used adjunctively with SRP in contralateral quadrants (laser groups [LG]). Diode laser therapy was applied to periodontal pockets on days 1, 3, and 7 after SRP. Baseline data, including approximal plaque index (API), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL), were recorded before the treatment and 6 and 18 weeks after treatment. Changes in PD and CAL were analyzed separately for initially moderate (4 to 6 mm) and deep (7 to 10 mm) pockets.

Results: The results were similar for both groups in terms of API, BOP, PD in deep pockets, and CAL. The laser group showed only significant PD gain in moderate pockets during the baseline to 18-week (P <0.05) and 6- to 18- week (P <0.05) periods, whereas no difference was found between LG and CG in the remaining clinical parameters (P >0.05).

Conclusion: The present study indicates that, compared to SRP alone, multiple adjunctive applications of a 980-nm diode laser with SRP showed PD improvements only in moderate periodontal pockets (4 to 6 mm).