Evaluation of 940-nm diode laser effectiveness on pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing in chronic periodontitis: A randomized clinical single-masked split-mouth study

BACKGROUND: Diode lasers can be used in the treatment of periodontal diseases as they have an anti-bactericidal effect, and regulate oral tissue inflammatory responses. This study aimed to evaluate the adjunctive effects of Diode 940 nm laser on mechanical periodontal debridement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this split-mouth single-blind randomized clinical trial, 12 patients were selected. Forty-four oral segments were enrolled in the scaling and root planing (SRP) group and SRP + Laser group with a 1:1 allocation ratio following a simple randomization procedure (coin flip). Clinical parameters (pocket depth, clinical attachment loss [CAL], and bleeding on probing [BOP]) were measured at baseline. After the SRP, a 940 nm Diode laser (1 Watt power and continuous wave mode) was used in the SRP + Laser group as an adjunctive treatment. The clinical parameters were remeasured 2 months posttreatment. Statistical analysis was carried out using an unpaired t-test with a 5% significant level by SPSS. RESULTS: Although all clinical parameters had more improvements in the SRP + Laser group, the differences were not significant between the two study groups (P > 0.05). Only in individual tooth evaluations, CAL changes in first and second premolars and BOP changes in second premolars show statistically significant improvement in the SRP + L group compared to the SRP group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using diode 940 nm laser as an adjunctive treatment for SRP may be helpful and be suggested for periodontal treatment.