The Use of Soft Tissue Diode Laser in the Treatment of Oral Hyper Pigmentation

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and patients' acceptance of soft tissue diode laser, for the elimination of hyper pigmented areas of the gingivae and buccal mucosa. Subjects and methods:Twenty patients complaining of dark localized areas in their gingivae of upper and lower jaws, or in cheek mucosa were included in this study. All are females ages ranged from 18-37 with average of 27.5 years. The patients were all not pregnant, and free from any systemic diseases, and had no other areas of hyperpigmentation. Results:Most of the patients (18 Pts.) required two treatment sessions to remove the melanotic lesions satisfactorily. The patients were seen after one, two, and three weeks respectively. Eight patients (40%) had a good response after one week , Ten patients (50%) had a very good response after two weeks, while only two patients (10%) had a bad result and required a third treatment session after two weeks. At the third week postoperatively in the successful cases, restoration of the normal gingival and mucosal texture and color was achieved with optimal esthetic results. Most of the patients had no postoperative discomfort including: pain, edema and disfigurement. Conclusion:The soft tissue diode laser can be considered as a reliable mean for elimination of melanotic lesions of the gingivae or buccal mucosa, and is well tolerated by the patients.

A comparative clinical study between the efficacy of Nd:YAG laser and Diode laser in the management of physiologic gingival melanin pigmentation

“…Bhardwaj et al . and Soliman et al . both reported that complete healing occurred in a period between 1 and 3 weeks of depigmentation using diode laser.…”

“…2 and 4 weeks without recession or abnormalities. Bhardwaj et al 32 and Soliman et al 33 both reported that complete healing occurred in a period between 1 and 3 weeks of depigmentation using diode laser. Stability of depigmented gingiva is a basic factor in evaluating treatments' success.…”

Comparison of Nd:YAG Laser and Surgical Stripping for Treatment of Gingival Hyperpigmentation: A Clinical Trial

“…Several studies have compared the use of different lasers with varying results. [26][27][28] However, similar advantages of the use of lasers have been noticed, such as: (1) a relatively bloodless surgical and postsurgical course; (2) the ability to coagulate, vaporize, or cut tissues; (3) sterilization of the wound site; (4) minimal swelling and scarring; (5) little mechanical trauma; (6) reduction of surgical time; and (7) less postoperative pain. Therefore, lasers have come into prominence in surgical periodontology because of their distinct advantages over conventional periodontal surgical procedures.…”

Treatment of oral hyperpigmentation and gummy smile using lasers and role of plasma as a novel treatment technique in dentistry: An introductory review

“…Soliman et al [10] reported that the soft tissue diode laser wavelength results in maximal tissue absorption and minimal penetration as compared to minimal tissue absorption and maximal penetration when using an Nd:YAG Laser. Hence, the use of diode laser is a much safer mode of treatment.…”

“…After three weeks, a continuous healing process with the proliferation of squamous epithelial cells was noted. The diode laser is a useful and a safe means of treatment, and this type is the preferred type of laser when no other short-pulse lasers are available [28, 10]. …”