Comparative evaluation of laser curettage with or without local drug delivery agent as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy in chronic periodontitis: A clinico- microbiological study

• Author Details:   
• Anshu Singhania
• Anshika Malik
• Manav Varshney
• Prashansa Sharma ^*
• Sumit Malhotra

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Background: Periodontal diseases are influenced by various factors, with bacteria being a primary contributor. As Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) alone may not be able to eliminate these bacteria, combining SRP with locally delivered drug agents (LDD) and laser pocket irradiation enhance the action of laser in pocket eradication. Laser can reduce bacterial load, promote bio-stimulation and reach areas difficult to access whereas LDD provide sustained antibacterial effects that enhances periodontal health.
Materials and Methods: 15 chronic periodontitis patients were randomly allotted to three treatment groups: Group A (SRP+ Conventional curettage), Group B (SRP+ laser curettage) and Group C (SRP + laser curettage with local drug delivery agent). Clinical parameters were evaluated at baseline and after three months. A quantitative analysis of sub-gingival plaque samples for aerobic and anaerobic bacterial growth was conducted at both baseline and one month using the colony count method.
Results: In all therapeutic approaches there were significant changes in all parameters on intragroup comparison but on intergroup comparison significant changes in OHI-S, significant reduction in aerobic as well as percentage reduction in anaerobic bacteria were seen in group B and C when compared with group A.
Conclusion: Laser curettage combined with a LDD agent demonstrates similar clinical outcomes in terms of percentage reduction in bacteria when compared with laser curettage alone in the management of chronic periodontitis. Using Laser combined with LDD contributing to more effective periodontal therapy that supresses inflammation and enhances periodontal health.

Keywords: Laser curettage, Local drug delivery, Chronic periodontitis, Probing depth, Colony forming units.