title: Aggressive periodontitis: laser Nd:YAG treatment versus conventional surgical therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to compare two methods of treatment for aggressive periodontitis: traditional surgical and Nd:YAG laser, evaluating their possible objective clinical advantages.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 36 hemiarches of 18 patients were analysed, 10 males and 8 females of average age of 14, selected according to predefined criteria. Overall we examined 70 radicular surfaces (sites) of 50 teeth. Each hemiarch to treat was randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results, analysed using the Friedman's test, showed a clinically appreciable validity both for the surgical and the laser treatment, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test didn't highlight any statistically significant difference between the two types of treatment. The laser itself appears as a valid alternative to conventional therapy, in relation to the young age of the patients and for individuals at increased anaesthesiological risk and/or with coagulation and platelet function disorders.
authors.affiliation: University of L'Aquila, School of Dental Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mummolo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scorzetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marzo
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000601:surgery*; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric