Comparative oral health outcomes before and after periodontitis treatment: Scaling and root planning alone versus Nd: YAG Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure.

Abstract

Introduction: Periodontitis is a multifactorial condition that impacts the support tissues of the teeth. The purpose of the research was to correlate the results obtained in the treatment of patients with at least stage II periodontitis by scaling and root planing alone (SRP), or by the laser-assisted new attachment procedure (LANAP), and to assess the outcomes and patients’ perceptions regarding the influence of these therapies on their quality of life by using The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Materials and methods: The oral cavities of 15 patients were divided into quadrants, and, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two quadrants were allocated to one of the groups after the effectuated therapy: SRP or LANAP. The patient‘s periodontal status (VPI, PPD, BOP, and CAL) was assessed and filed in a periodontal chart at baseline and 6 weeks after the implementation of the treatments, along with the OHIP-14 questionnaire. SRP was conducted for the first group of patients, in the selected quadrant and in the two remaining quadrants that were not included in the study. The LANAP protocol was applied to the quadrant belonging to the second group (LANAP) using a 1064 nm Nd: YAG laser (Lightwalker AT-S, Fotona®, Slovenia). Results: The results showed that both noninvasive treatments are effective in diminishing VPI, PPD, BOP, and CAL in periodontal patients, and the scores obtained 6 weeks after the end of the periodontal treatments determined the improvement of the patient’s perception in the questionnaire. Conclusion: Both the association of the Nd: YAG laser with scaling and root planing (LANAP) and SRP alone provided safe and efficient outcomes, resulting in high levels of satisfaction among patients at 6 weeks after treatment.