Nd:YAG and CO2 laser therapy of oral mucosal lesions.
OBJECTIVE
Experiences gained in the management of oral mucosal lesions by CO2 and Nd:YAG laser therapy in an outpatient clinic treated over an 80-year period are described.


BACKGROUND
Lasers have indications for use in dentistry for incision, excision, and coagulation of intraoral soft tissue. Advances in laser technology have provided delivery systems for site-specific delivery of laser energy with short interaction items on tissue to be ablated. This study retrospectively evaluates a series of clinical case studies.


METHODS
Sixty-four patients with a variety of benign oral soft tissue lesions were treated by laser excision. Thirty-five patients were treated by a pulsed fiberoptic delivered Nd:YAG contact laser, and 29 by a continuous free-beam CO2 non-contact laser. The largest group of lesions treated were leukoplakia (39 cases). Other lesions excised and biopsied were lichen planus, squamous papilloma, pyogenic granuloma, focal melanosis, nonhealing traumatic ulceration, hemangioma, and lymphangioma. All patients were followed postoperatively (mean 6.8 months, range 1-36 months).


RESULTS
Laser excision was well tolerated by patients with no intraoperative or postoperative adverse effects. All patients healed postsurgically with no loss of function.


CONCLUSIONS
CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers are successful surgical options when performing excision of benign intraoral lesions. Advantages of laser therapy include minimal postoperative pain, conservative site-specific minimally invasive surgeries, and elimination of need for sutures.
White
J M
JM
Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Chaudhry
S I
SI
Kudler
J J
JJ
Sekandari
N
N
Schoelch
M L
ML
Silverman
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000601:surgery*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D009354:Neodymium; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D009354:Neodymium