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Clinical and microbiological evaluation of the effectiveness of the Nd:Yap laser for the initial treatment of adult periodontitis
Author(s) -
Ambrosini Pascal,
Miller Neal,
Briançon Serge,
Gallina Sébastien,
Penaud Jacques
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of clinical periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.456
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1600-051X
pISSN - 0303-6979
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-051x.2005.00738.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prevotella intermedia , treponema denticola , dentistry , actinobacillus , chronic periodontitis , porphyromonas gingivalis , gingival and periodontal pocket , periodontitis , scaling and root planing
Background: Enhancement of the results obtained by scaling and planing is most often sought by using antimicrobial therapies. Laser beams have been shown to be bactericidal and could possibly target pathogens more effectively and with fewer compliance problems than antiseptic solutions. Methods: Thirty subjects 20–60 years old presenting periodontal pockets at least 5 mm deep in each quadrant received initial periodontal treatment. The study had a split‐mouth design. The control side (SRP) only received scaling and planing, and the test side (SRP+laser) was treated by both SRP and Nd:Yap (yttrium aluminum perovskite doped with neodym) laser. Clinical conditions were evaluated at day 0 and day 90 using the plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, pocket probing depth, and clinical attachment level. Microbial sampling was also performed on days 0 and 90, and the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans , Porphyromonas gingivalis , Prevotella intermedia , Tannerella forsythensis , and Treponema denticola was analysed by polymerase chain reaction in a commercial laboratory. Post‐operative pain or discomfort was measured by the patient using a linear visual scale. Pearson's chi‐squared test was used to compare bacterial presence. Results: There was no statistically significant difference concerning clinical data between test and control groups at baseline. Both treatments enhanced the clinical situation compared to baseline; however, results were not significantly different between the two groups. T. forsythensis was the organism most numerous in both groups. Though initial treatment diminished the numbers of all the pathogens it did not do so statistically significantly. Differences between test and control groups were very small and bore no significance. Evaluation of the post‐operative pain did not reveal any differences between the groups. Conclusions: Scaling and root planing was effective in reducing levels of plaque, inflammation, and bleeding upon probing. No additional advantage was achieved by using the Nd:Yap laser.