Comparison Between Efficacy of LASER Assisted & Conventional Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy: An experimental study

Abstract

Background:

Scaling and root planing (SRP) is the cornerstone of nonsurgical periodontal therapy; however, adjunctive approaches may enhance clinical and microbiological outcomes. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been proposed as an adjunct to SRP because of its potential anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects.

Aim: To compare the clinical and microbiological efficacy of SRP alone with SRP supplemented by LLLT in patients with generalized chronic periodontitis.

Materials and Methods: An experimental clinical trial with a split-mouth design was conducted among 30 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis, contributing 60 study sites. Contralateral sites were randomly allocated to receive either SRP with adjunctive LLLT (test group) or SRP alone (control group). Clinical parameters, including sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL), and subgingival Porphyromonas gingivalis counts were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Paired Student’s t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied according to data distribution, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Baseline clinical and microbiological parameters were comparable between the two groups. At 3 months, SBI decreased to 0.92 ± 0.31 in the SRP + LLLT group compared with 1.28 ± 0.35 in the SRP-alone group (p < 0.001). PPD decreased to 2.78 ± 0.39 mm and 3.18 ± 0.42 mm, respectively (p < 0.001), with significantly greater PPD reduction in the test group (1.54 ± 0.41 mm vs. 1.11 ± 0.38 mm; p < 0.001). Although the 3-month CAL values did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.061), CAL gain was significantly greater with adjunctive LLLT (0.89 ± 0.31 mm vs. 0.62 ± 0.28 mm; p = 0.002). The mean P. gingivalis count decreased from 5.82 ± 0.54 to 3.21 ± 0.48 in the SRP + LLLT group and from 5.79 ± 0.51 to 4.18 ± 0.52 in the SRP-alone group, with a significantly greater reduction in the test group (p < 0.001)..

Conclusion: Both treatment modalities produced significant clinical and microbiological improvements after 3 months. However, SRP supplemented with LLLT demonstrated significantly greater reductions in gingival bleeding, probing pocket depth, and subgingival P. gingivalis, along with greater CAL gain. These findings suggest that LLLT may provide additional clinical and microbiological benefits when used as an adjunct to conventional SRP in the management of chronic periodontitis..