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Management of oral leukoplakia with an 808-nm high-power diode laser: a single-center experience
José Alcides Almeida de Arruda1, Leni Verônica de Oliveira Silva2, Camila de Nazaré Alves de Oliveira Kato2
1Department of Oral Surgery, Pathology and Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Pres. Antônio Carlos, 6627, room 3202 D.Belo Horizonte, Pampulha, MG, Brazil. alcides_almeida@hotmail.com.
Purpose:
High-power diode laser emerges as a promising approach to the treatment of oral leukoplakia (OL); however, its short- and long-term effects have been barely explored. This study evaluated the postoperative endpoints and the recurrence rate of high-power diode laser treatment in a well-defined series of patients with OL.
Methods:
A prospective analysis was performed on 22 individuals comprising 31 OL. The lesions were irradiated using the following protocol: Indium-Gallium-Arsenide diode laser, 808 nm, continuous-wave mode, 1.5-2.0 W, 780.0 ± 225.1 J, and 477.1 ± 131.8 s. Postoperative pain was assessed with a visual analog scale at three endpoints. Clinical follow-up was performed on all patients and the Kaplan-Meier test was used to analyze the probability of recurrence.
Results:
The series consisted mostly of women (72.7%) with a mean age of 62.8 years. A single laser session was performed in 77.4% of cases. The median score on the scale that assessed pain on the 1st, 14th and 42nd postoperative day was 4, 1, and 0, respectively. The mean follow-up period per lesion was 28.6 months (range: 2-53 months). A complete response was observed in 93.5% of OL cases, while 6.5% had recurrence. The probability of recurrence at 39 months was 6.7%. No patient experienced malignant transformation.
Conclusion:
High-power diode laser for the treatment of OL is safe and effective during the trans- and postoperative period. These findings represent an alternative approach to the management of OL, mainly because a low recurrence rate was observed.
