Clinical Evaluation of Laser Therapy Used as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Treatment of Gum Disease

University of California, Los Angeles23 enrolled

Overview

The use of lasers to treat various problems in dentistry is growing as it has in medicine. One application is the use of lasers to treat periodontal disease. It has been suggested that the laser may reduce the need for surgical treatment by reducing pockets. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of laser treatment for periodontal disease. Laser therapy will be used in addition to traditional non-surgical scaling and root planing (deep cleaning). The information obtained from this study will provide an objective assessment of adjunctive laser therapy compared to conventional periodontal therapy and will attempt to show the benefits, if any, lasers can provide in the treatment of chronic periodontal disease.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Periodontitis Chronic Generalized Moderate Periodontitis Chronic Generalized Severe

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years old or older (male or female) * Healthy without systemic diseases that may adversely effect healing * Not pregnant and no current plans to become pregnant * No periodontal treatment in the previous 12 months * No systemic antibiotic therapy in the previous 6 months * At least two quadrants with periodontitis (ideally opposite side same jaw) * Each quadrant must have two or more sites with probing pocket depths ≥ 5mm * Each quadrant should include interproximal intrabony defect(s) Exclusion criteria: * Any systemic disease, medication, or habit known to adversely influence bone metabolism and/or wound healing: * Poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c \> 7%) * History of bisphosphonate medications * History of radiation therapy affecting the proposed treatment site(s) * History of immunosuppressive medications (e.g. corticosteroids) * History of tobacco use (current or past tobacco use within the past 1 year) * Immune compromise caused by disease, treatment or other condition * Recent history of periodontal surgery (within the previous 2 years) * Recent history of scaling and root planing (within the previous 12 months) * Any condition that contraindicates periodontal therapy including surgery

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Probing Pocket Depth

This is a measure from base of pocket to gingival margin.

Time frame: 12 months

Sites That Bleed on Probing

Percentage of sites that bleed in response to probing. Bleeding observed within 30 seconds from pocket/sulcus following periodontal probe measurement.

Time frame: 12 months

Gingival Recession

Measure of gingival recession following treatment. This is a measure of the gingival margin from the cement-enamel junction.

Time frame: 12 months

Clinical Attachment Level

Periodontal clinical attachment level following treatment. This is a calculation (clinical attachment level = probing pocket depth + gingival recession).

Time frame: 12 months

Secondary Outcomes

Periodontal Microbiome

Assess changes in periodontal microbiome using DNA sequencing

Time frame: 12 months

Patient Reported Outcomes: VAS Questionnaire

Measure patient reported pain (0-100), comfort (0-100), sensitivity (0-100) and satisfaction (0-100) using VAS questionnaire, with lower values indicating better outcome for pain and sensitivity and higher values indicating better outcome for comfort and satisfaction.

Time frame: 12 months