Treatment of Infrabony Defects by Open Flap Debridement with or without Diode Laser

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Periodontitis involves destruction of periodontal ligaments and alveolar bone.
• Open flap debridement is a surgical approach for accessing periodontal defects.
• Diode laser application as an adjunct in periodontal surgery offers potential advantages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical outcomes of open flap debridement with and without diode laser adjunct therapy.
• To evaluate the efficacy of diode laser in treating periodontal intrabony defects.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving patients aged 25-45 with infrabony defects (≥ 5 mm).
• Control group received open flap debridement alone; test group received open flap debridement with diode laser.
• Clinical parameters including Plaque Index, Gingival Index, Pocket Depth, and Clinical Attachment Level were assessed at baseline, 3, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• Both groups showed improvements in plaque and gingival scores at 3 and 6 months compared to baseline, with no statistically significant difference between groups.
• Open flap debridement with or without diode laser did not yield significant reductions in pocket depth or gains in clinical attachment level.

Conclusions:

• No significant differences in clinical parameters were observed between open flap debridement with and without diode laser for infrabony defects.
• Diode laser can be safely employed as an adjunct in periodontal flap debridement.
• Further long-term, multicentric studies incorporating histologic and microbial analyses are warranted.