Periodontal tissue healing following flap surgery using an Er:YAG laser in dogs.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare periodontal tissue healing following flap surgery using an Er:YAG laser with that of conventional surgery.


METHODS
Bilateral premolars with experimentally induced periodontitis in six dogs were treated by periodontal flap surgery. Degranulation and root debridement in the furcation were performed using an Er:YAG laser or curet. At 3 months postsurgery, animals were sacrificed and decalcified specimens were prepared for histological and histometric analysis.


RESULTS
Degranulation and root debridement were effectively performed with an Er:YAG laser without major thermal damage and significantly faster than with a curet. Histologically, the amount of newly formed bone was significantly greater in the laser group than in the curet group, although both groups showed similar amounts of cementum formation and connective tissue attachment.


CONCLUSIONS
The Er:YAG laser irradiation can be safely and effectively utilized in periodontal flap surgery, and has the potential to promote new bone formation.
Mizutani
Koji
K
Periodontology, Department of Hard Tissue Engineering, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. mizutani.peri@tmd.ac.jp
Aoki
Akira
A
Takasaki
Aristeo Atsushi
AA
Kinoshita
Atsuhiro
A
Hayashi
Chie
C
Oda
Shigeru
S
Ishikawa
Isao
I
D000818:Animals; D003646:Debridement; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D017823:Furcation Defects; D006097:Granulation Tissue / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*