This randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the biomodulatory effects of a 940-nm GaAlAs diode laser on postoperative pain control and wound healing at the palatal donor site following free gingival graft harvesting. Adult patients undergoing free gingival graft surgery will be randomly allocated to receive either a single session of adjunctive diode laser irradiation immediately after surgery or conventional postoperative care alone. Postoperative pain will be assessed using a visual analog scale, while clinical parameters related to wound healing, including bleeding tendency, epithelialization, and wound size reduction, will be evaluated at predefined follow-up time points. The findings of this study may contribute to the clinical understanding of photobiomodulation in free gingival graft surgery.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
36
A single session of 940-nm GaAlAs diode laser irradiation is applied to the palatal donor site immediately after free gingival graft harvesting using a continuous, non-contact mode (0.1 W, 4 J/cm² for 40 seconds), in combination with the use of a palatal stent.
In the control group, only the palatal stent was applied without laser irradiation after suturing was completed at the recipient site
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Postoperative pain
Zero is equivalent to no pain and 10 indicates the worst possible pain.
Time frame: 2 hours, 3 days, and 7 days after surgery
Post-surgical analgesic consumption
The number of 500-mg acetaminophen tablets consumed by participants during the first 3 days after surgery.
Time frame: Within 3 days after surgery
Epithelialization of the palatal donor site
Epithelialization at the palatal donor site assessed as a binary outcome (yes/no) using a hydrogen peroxide bubbling test, classified as non-epithelialized (presence of bubbles) or completely epithelialized (absence of bubbles).
Time frame: Day 7 and 14 after surgery
Remaining wound area
Changes in palatal donor site wound area measured using serial intraoral digital scans obtained at predefined follow-up time points
Time frame: Immediately after surgery, and 3, 7, and 14 days after surgery
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