Efficacy of Diode Laser as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy in the Treatment of Stage II and III Periodontitis: ARandomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: The goal of periodontal therapy is to reduce the bacterial deposits in the pockets; which is mainly achieved by non surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). Despite effective, it may sometimes be insufficient. Laser offered several advantages as bactericidal, disinfectant and healing accelerator. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the use of adjunctive diode laser to NSPT compared to NSPT alone in the treatment of periodontitis. Methods: In this randomized controlled study with parallel groups, 12 periodontitis patients were randomly assigned to either control group (NSPT only, n=6) or intervention group (laser + NSPT, n=6). Clinical parameters [bleeding on probing (BoP) and plaque index (PI)] were assessed at baseline and 4 weeks post operatively. Patient reported outcome (pain) was evaluated at baseline, during the procedure and 4 weeks post operatively. Results: Both treatments used induced a significant improvement in clinical parameters. However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in BoP and PI 4 weekspostoperatively (p=0.93and0.17respectively). Additionally, pain assessment did not show statistical significance during the treatment and post operatively between the two groups (p=0.28 and 0.1 respectively). Conclusion: The use of diode laser as an adjunctive to NSPT showed comparable results to NSPT alone in the treatment of periodontitis regarding both clinical and patient reported outcome.