Clinical evaluation of pain perception and surgical wound healing after lower labial frenectomy with diode laser technique: pilot study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative period of diode laser frenectomies of the lower labial frenulum (LLF) with anomalous insertions and the perceptions of postoperative pain and wound healing. This cross-sectional pilot study evaluated 3 patients who underwent mandibular labial frenectomy with a diode laser between April 2024 and July 2024. Individuals were divided into two groups according LLF insertion type and the parameters evaluated were gender, age, traumatic brushing, dentin hypersensitivity (DH), traumatic brushing, postoperative pain presence, healing, analgesic use and periodontal parameters, with follow-up occurring up to 90 days after frenectomy. Statistical analyses were performed by frequency of categorical variables, Fisher's exact test and G test were used for intra and intergroup comparisons and the Wilcoxon test was used to compare different postoperative times, with the level of significance set at 0.05 (p < 0.05). The mean age of the sample was 34.6 years and there was a predominance of female participants (n = 2/ 66.6%), we verified that 2 (66.6%) patients presented a bifurcated frenulum insertion and 100% presented mild to intense DH and gingival recession. In the postoperative period, 100% of individuals reported pain and visual dissatisfaction with the scar until the 4th day of follow-up and after 30 days of follow-up only 1 individual remained with pain and visual dissatisfaction with the scar and no evaluated parameter showed statistical significance. Diode laser frenectomy proved to be effective in controlling postoperative pain, improving healing and reducing bleeding.