Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy and Er,Cr:YSGG Laser-assisted Periodontal Pocket Therapy for Treatment of Aggressive Periodontitis: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the clinical effects of Er,Cr:YSGG laser-assisted pocket therapy (ELAPT) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) on clinical outcomes of the treatment of aggressive periodontitis. Materials and methods: Twenty patients with age between 18 and 35 years who were clinically diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis were selected from the outpatient department of periodontics. On the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria three different sites were selected in each patient and then assigned randomly to three groups of treatment modalities: aPDT (Group I), ELAPT (Group II), or SRP (Group III-control). PD reduction and CAL gain were compared to the baseline values—baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months. Results: Both the treatment modalities assessed, produced significant improvements in terms of the two outcome variables: PD reduction and CAL gain compared to the baseline values (p < 0 < 0.05) after 9 months, although no significant difference was seen between the two groups for PD reduction and CAL gain. Conclusion: Within the constraints, this study has shown promising results for the treatment of aggressive periodontitis using both the latest modalities photodynamic therapy (aPDT) and ELAPT. Future research with larger sample size shall be done to evaluate the effects of these modalities. Clinical significance: The treatment of aggressive periodontitis has always posed a challenge for clinicians, but there have been no established protocols and guidelines for the efficient control of the disease. Conventional adjunctive anti-infectious therapies like systemic antibiotics and local drug delivery are available as an adjunct to SRP but they have not proven to be effective. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy or laser-assisted pocket therapy could be explored as new possibilities of antibacterial treatment and used as adjunct to SRP for the treatment of aggressive periodontitis.