Anton Sculean, Frank Schwarz, Mohammad Berakdar, George E. Romanos, Nicole B. Arweiler, Jürgen Becker
Background: The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of an Er:YAG laser to that of ultrasonic scaling for non-surgical periodontal treatment.
Methods: Twenty patients with moderate to advanced periodontal disease were randomly treated in a split-mouth design with a single episode of subgingival debridement using either an Er:YAG laser device (160 mJ/pulse, 10 Hz) combined with a calculus detection system with fluorescence induced by 655 nm InGaAsP diode laser radiation (ERL), or an ultrasonic instrument (UI). Clinical assessments of full-mouth plaque score (FMPS), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were made at baseline and at 3 and 6 months following therapy.
Results: No differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed at baseline between the two groups. The mean value of BOP decreased in the ERL group from 40% at baseline to 17% after 6 months (P <0.0001) and in the UI group from 46% at baseline to 15% after 6 months (P <0.0001). The sites treated with ERL demonstrated mean CAL gain of 1.48 ± 0.73 mm (P <0.001) and of 1.11 ± 0.59 mm (P <0.001) at 3 and 6 months, respectively. The sites treated with UI demonstrated mean CAL gain of 1.53 ± 0.67 mm (P <0.001) and of 1.11 ± 0.46 mm (P <0.001) at 3 and 6 months, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups (P >0.05).
Conclusion: Within the limits of the present study, it can be concluded that both therapies led to significant improvements of the investigated clinical parameters. J Periodontol 2004;75:966-973.
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