Laser irradiation inhibition of open gingival embrasure space after orthodontic treatment.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of low-energy laser irradiation on an incidence of open gingival embrasure space after orthodontic treatment. The patient was a 20-year, 7-month-old Japanese female with an Angle Class I malocclusion and crowding in the mandible. Treatment consisted of extraction of maxillary and mandibular first premolars and use of the Edgewise technique. A Ga-Al-As diode laser was used to irradiate an area of 0.5 cm2 at the labial and lingual gingival papilla between the canines. The time of exposure was 6 minutes for 3 days, carried out between the relevelling and en masse stages of movement. The total energy corresponding to 6 minutes of exposure varied from 1.90 J/cm2. There was no further evidence of open gingival embrasure space, except at the mandibular central incisor. Further: an improvement in the gingival inflammation caused by a periodontal disease was observed, and periodontal pocket depth was maintained. These results suggest that low-energy laser irradiation may inhibit the incidence of open gingival embrasure space after orthodontic treatment.