Clinical and microbiological evaluation of the synergistic effects of diode laser with nonsurgical periodontal therapy: A randomized clinical trial

CONTEXT: Nonsurgical and surgical therapies along with local and systemic antibiotic regimens have been advocated in the treatment of periodontitis. Due to increasing risk of developing antibiotic resistance and inability of nonsurgical periodontal therapy to completely eradicate the pathogenic microorganisms, lasers have been used as an adjunct to conventional therapy. AIM: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of diode lasers as adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) compared to SRP alone on various clinical and microbiologic parameters in chronic periodontitis patients. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Patients were taken from the department of periodontology and implantology, who were having chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of forty patients participated in the study and they were divided into Group I – the test group (SRP + diode laser) and Group II – the control group (SRP alone). The following clinical parameters were assessed: oral hygiene index simplified; clinical attachment level (CAL); probing pocket depth (PPD); bleeding on probing (BOP) at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after the treatment; and colony-forming units (CFUs) 1 week postoperatively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The statistical analysis was performed using paired t-test, unpaired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Mann–Whitney test. RESULTS: There was reduction in BOP, PPD, and gain in CAL from baseline to 3 months and also a reduction in CFU 1 week postoperatively. CONCLUSION: There was a significant improvement in clinical parameters in test group (SRP + laser) as compared to the control group (SRP alone).