Effect of Low-Level Laser on Wound Healing after Gingivectomy

One of the most important issues after gingivectomy procedures is to shorten the wound healing period and decrease pain. One of the new techniques is the application of low-level laser, which has attracted attention because of the absence of side effects, appropriate equipment, and low treatment costs. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of low-level laser on accelerating the healing process after gingivectomy.

Twenty-two samples in 12 patients with gingival hyperplasia on their symmetrical teeth were included in this controlled clinical trial. After gingivectomy, 660-nm lowlevel laser was randomly applied to one side for 5 days. The contralateral side served as a control with no laser irradiation. The surgical areas were subjected to a plaquedisclosing solution (Mira-2-tone) to visualize the epithelium in the surgical area. Comparison of the surface areas between the LLLT-applied and control sites were made with Photoshop software after taking photographs. Data were analyzed with paired-sample t-test, independent-sample t-test, and ANOVA using SPSS 23. Statistical significance was defined at p value < 0.05.

There were no statistically differences between the stained surface areas of the LLLTapplied and control sites immediately after surgery and three days after surgery. However, the LLLT-applied sites exhibited significantly lower stained areas compared with the controls on the seventh and 15th postoperative days (p value < 0.001).

The results indicated that LLLT might enhance epithelialization and improve wound healing after gingivectomy.