One-year clinical outcomes following non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis with adjunctive diode laser application.

Background: Limited information is available on the application of diode laser in the treatment of peri-implant diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of the adjunctive application of diode laser in the non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis during a 12-month follow-up period.

Methods: The sample was composed of 73 systemically healthy patients with one implant diagnosed with peri-implant mucositis (bleeding on probing [BoP] with no loss of supporting bone). Implants were randomly assigned to mechanical debridement with hand and powered instruments and 980-nm diode laser application (test group, N.=38) or mechanical debridement alone (control group, N.=35). At the completion of active treatment patients were included in a periodontal maintenance program. Recalls were provided every three months in both treatment groups for reinforcement in oral hygiene instructions and professional implant cleaning with rubber cups. Baseline parameters were repeated at 3 and 12 months postoperatively.

Results: Intragroup analysis showed that plaque index, BoP and probing depth presented statistically significant improvements when compared with baseline values (all P<0.001). No statistically significant difference in clinical outcomes was observed between treatment groups at each time point. At 12 months no significant difference in the percentage of sites showing BoP resolution was observed between test (60.9%) and control treatment (52.6%), as well.

Conclusions: Based on the present results, the adjunct use of diode laser showed little but not statistically significant additional benefits in the treatment of peri-implant mucositis after an observation period of one year.