European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Aim: Purpose of the present research was to assess the effectiveness of Er,Cr:YSGG laser in comparison or as an adjunct to non-surgical treatment for periodontitis.
Methodology: In a randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial, 27 patients were recruited. Using a split-mouth design, two quadrants were randomly allocated into either a test group or a control group. The test quadrants received Er,Cr:YSGG laser (ERL) (100 mJ/pulse;15 Hz to hard tissue and 50 mJ/pulse; 30 Hz to soft tissue) plus SRP treatment, while the control quadrants received SRP only. We evaluated periodontal indexes, including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding index (BI), and plaque index (PLI) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.
Results: The PD and CAL means in the ERL+SRP group were significantly lower than those in the SRP group at 3-month follow-up (PD: 2.98±0.38 mm vs. 3.09±0.35 mm; CAL: 4.51±0.69 mm vs. 4.72±0.67 mm) and 6-month follow-up (PD: 2.91±0.31 mm vs. 3.02±0.30 mm; CAL: 4.52±0.65 mm vs. 4.72±0.66 mm) (p=0.03 for both PD and CAL). There were no significant differences in BI and PLI between two groups.
Conclusion: The Er,Cr:YSGG laser treatment combined with conventional SRP significantly improved PD and CAL compared to SRP therapy alone; however, these differences were very small and, as a result, the adjunctive effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser is likely to be minimal clinically important.