Efficacy of Nd:YAG laser-assisted periodontal therapy for the management of periodontitis: A double-blind split-mouth randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of Nd:YAG laser-assisted periodontal therapy for management of patients with stage II-IV periodontitis. METHODS: Patients who presented with residual periodontal pockets were enrolled. After non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT), test sites received Nd:YAG laser (first entrance to pocket: 3 W, 100 mus, 20 Hz; second entrance: 4 W, 600 mus, 20 Hz) and control sites received placebo (laser off). Periodontal probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession (GR), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI) were recorded at baseline and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6-month visits. RESULTS: Twenty patients completed the 6-month period. Significant reductions in PPD, CAL, BOP, and PI values and a significant increase in GR at all follow-up visits compared to the baseline (all P < 0.001) were revealed in both groups. Test sites showed significantly greater improvement in PPD (P = 0.0002) and greater increase in GR (P < 0.0001) compared to the control sites at 6-month visit. There was no difference between two groups regarding CAL gain through the study period (P = 0.23). CONCLUSION: NSPT+Nd:YAG laser with the current protocol results in greater PPD reduction compared to NSPT alone. However, this reduction is likely because of greater GR rather than attachment gain. Therefore, the adjunction of Nd:YAG laser (with the current setting) to the NSPT for the treatment of residual periodontal pockets did not ameliorate the clinical outcomes (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03365167).