Anti-inflammatory effect of low level laser treatment on chronic periodontitis

Abstract

Background

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the supportive tissue of teeth caused by specific microorganisms. Periodontitis is a typical example of a chronic inflammatory reaction which cannot develop without an associated inflammation, since it is always attended by gingivitis with marked inflammation. The aim of the paper is to show the anti-inflammatory effects on gingiva by combined therapy (conservative therapy complemented with laser therapy).

Material and methods

A total of 34 patients were examined who had been diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. In the experimental group 17 patients were treated using conservative methods (scaling and root planing) followed by a low level laser therapy (LLLT) with a Scorpion-SM-405-7A system (OPTIKA-LASER; Sofia, Bulgaria), and the patients of the control group (n = 17) were treated only with scaling and root planing (SRP).

Clinical measurements included probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment level (CAL), as well as supragingival plaque measurements (PL) and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) measurements in pockets and were undertaken before therapy (baseline), and three and six months, respectively after the therapy had been completed.

Results

All the subjects in each group completed all phases of the study. Six months after the therapy, the average PPD, CAL and CGF reduction in the experimental group with LLLT was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than for the patients receiving only conservative therapy. The reduction in CAL and GCF at the treated sites was greater than at the SRP sites, although the difference was statistically significant for the six month visit only (p < 0.05).

In the group using only conservative therapy, histological findings of gingivae showed a reduction in the number of inflammatory cells and partial stroma collagenization, while histological findings in gingivae after the laser therapy indicated completely regenerated gingival tissue with few inflammatory cells as well as marked collagen tissue homogenization.

Conclusion

Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of LLLT as an adjunct procedure in the conservative treatment of periodontitis is very successful in reducing gingival tissue inflammation.