Coronally advanced flap adjunct with low intensity laser therapy: a randomized controlled clinical pilot study

• Published in: Journal of clinical periodontology Vol. 38; no. 11; pp. 1055 - 1062
• Main Authors: Ozturan, Seda, Durukan, Sulhi Andac, Ozcelik, Onur, Seydaoglu, Gulsah, Cenk Haytac, Mehmet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2011; Blackwell
• Subjects: Adult; aesthetic; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; coronally advanced flap; Dentistry; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Female; Gingival Recession - radiotherapy; Gingival Recession - surgery; Humans; Lasers, Semiconductor - therapeutic use; low intensity laser/therapy; Low-Level Light Therapy; Male; Medical sciences; Miller class I recessions; Miller class II recessions; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pilot Projects; root coverage; Single-Blind Method; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surgical Flaps; aesthetic; root coverage; low intensity laser/therapy; Dentistry; Low intensity; Tooth root; Miller class I recessions; Treatment; coronally advanced flap; Surgery; Laser; Miller class II recessions; Aesthetics; Flap (surgery)
• ISSN: 0303-6979; 1600-051X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2011.01774.x

Aim Coronally advanced flap (CAF) technique and its modifications have been proposed in the literature. Low intensity laser therapy (LILT) is shown to increase wound healing. The aim of this split‐mouth randomized controlled pilot study was to assess the effects of LILT with respect to root coverage after CAF procedure for the treatment of multiple‐recession type defects (MRTD). Material and Methods Ten patients with symmetrical 74 Miller I and II gingival recessions were included in this study (37 in test, 37 in control group). A diode laser (588 nm) was applied to test sites before and immediately after surgery, and for 5 min. daily 7 days post‐operatively. Comparisons of the surgical sites were made with clinical measurements. Results Statistically significant differences were observed between test and control sites in the gingival recession depth (GRD), gingival recession width (GRW) and width of the keratinized tissue (WKT) and clinical attachment level (CAL) measurements after 1 year (p = 0.014, p = 0.015, p = 0.009 and p = 0.018 respectively). The test group presented greater complete root coverage (n = 7, 70%) compared with the control group (n = 3, 30%) after treatment. Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, the results indicated that LILT may improve the predictability of CAF in multiple recessions.