Removal of epithelium in periodontal pockets following diode (980 nm) laser application in the animal model:: An in vitro study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the removal of the epithelium in the periodontal pocket using a diode (980 nm) laser in comparison with the conventional techniques in an animal experimental model. Background Data: The goal of periodontal therapy is to reduce the bacterial deposits in the pockets and to enhance the clinical attachment. Different surgical techniques have been used in the past, which control the epithelial migration and promote the connective tissue formation. Materials and Methods: The buccal pockets of the posterior teeth in 10 freshly sacrificed adult pigs were scaled by three different examiners (with different levels of experience in periodontal surgery) using conventional curettes. The lingual pockets were treated using a diode (980 nm) laser. The laser was used in a continuous wave (c.w.) mode with two different power settings (2 and 4 Watts) with a 300-mum-thick glass fiber. The instrumentation period revealed 15 sec in all of the sites. Soft tissue biopsies of the instrumented sites were removed and examined histologically. Results: In all of the lased sections, no epithelial remnants were found. The laser with a low power was able to remove the thin pocket epithelium in the same way regardless of the level of surgical experience of the examiner. A high-power setting presented significant damage to the underlying connective tissues. The sites, which were instrumented with the conventional curettes, demonstrated significant epithelial remnants in all of the tissues regardless of the level of periodontal surgical experience. Conclusion: The histological findings presented in this study showed that instrumentation of the soft periodontal tissues with a diode laser (980 nm) leads to a complete epithelial removal in comparison to conventional treatment methods with hand instruments (independent of the clinician's experience).