Effect of Laser Photobiomodulation on Wound Healing and Postoperative Pain Following Free Gingival Graft: A Split-Mouth Triple-Blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Publisher Pubmed



Heidari M¹ ; Paknejad M² ; Jamali R³ ; Nokhbatolfoghahaei H⁴ ; Fekrazad R^{5, 6} ; Moslemi N^{2, 7} Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology Published:2017

Abstract

Background and Aim Free gingival graft (FGG) is one of the most predictable techniques for gingival augmentation. However, patient's discomfort and pain during healing period are significant concerns. The aim of this study was to assess if laser photobiomodulation (PBM) was effective in terms of enhancing wound healing and reducing postoperative pain. Methods and Materials Twelve patients participated in this split-mouth randomized controlled clinical trial. Each patient had a 30-day interval between the two procedures. In the test group, donor and recipient sites received diode laser (660 nm, 200 mW, continuous mode, time of irradiation:32 s, energy density: 4 J/cm2, spot size:0.5 cm) immediately after FGG surgery, and 1,2,4 and 7 days later. The control side received the same sequence of irradiation with the laser-off. Complete wound epithelialization of donor site and clinical wound healing and visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score of donor and recipient sites were evaluated after surgery. Results At 14 and 21 days after surgery, the number of donor sites with complete epithelialization was greater in laser group compared to the placebo. After 21 days, all donor sites in the test group were epithelialized completely, while at the same time, only eight donor sites in the control group showed complete epithelialization (P value = 0.05). In terms of clinical healing of the recipient and donor sites, the test and control groups did not show any significant difference during the 45-day period, except at days 1 (for recipient site) and 14 (for donor site), when the test group showed better results (P values: 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). The VAS pain score did not show statistically significant difference between two groups during the study period, except for the first 3 h after procedure when laser group showed greater VAS pain score (P values < 0.05). Conclusion PBM following FGG procedure with the parameters used in this study could accelerate the rate of epithelialization at the donor site. However, it did not reduce postoperative pain. © 2017