Evaluation of 940‑nm diode laser effectiveness on pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing in chronic periodontitis: A randomized clinical single‑masked split‑mouth study

Diode lasers can be used in the treatment of periodontal diseases as they have an anti‑bactericidal effect, and regulate oral tissue inflammatory responses. This study aimed to evaluate the adjunctive effects of Diode 940 nm laser on mechanical periodontal debridement.

In this split‑mouth single‑blind randomized clinical trial, 12 patients were selected. Forty‑four oral segments were enrolled in the scaling and root planing (SRP) group and SRP + Laser group with a 1:1 allocation ratio following a simple randomization procedure (coin flip). Clinical parameters (pocket depth, clinical attachment loss [CAL], and bleeding on probing [BOP]) were measured at baseline. After the SRP, a 940 nm Diode laser (1 Watt power and continuous wave mode) was used in the SRP + Laser group as an adjunctive treatment. The clinical parameters were remeasured 2 months posttreatment. Statistical analysis was carried out using an unpaired t‑test with a 5% significant level by SPSS.

Although all clinical parameters had more improvements in the SRP + Laser group, the differences were not significant between the two study groups (P > 0.05). Only in individual tooth evaluations, CAL changes in first and second premolars and BOP changes in second premolars show statistically significant improvement in the SRP + L group compared to the SRP group (P < 0.05).

Using diode 940 nm laser as an adjunctive treatment for SRP may be helpful and be suggested for periodontal treatment.