Lasers Improve Outcomes in Periodontal Flap Microsurgery, reports research
A new study published in the Indian Journal of Dental Research showed that in periodontal flap microsurgery, both erbium and diode lasers offer significant advantages, especially in terms of lowering postoperative pain, promoting early wound healing, and boosting soft-tissue responsiveness.
With the development of minimally invasive methods like microsurgery and lasers, periodontal flap surgery has evolved. Lasers are useful substitutes for conventional techniques because they offer special biophysical benefits such precise tissue ablation, bacterial decrease, and improved healing. Their therapeutic advantages are still substantial despite contradicting findings on cost, operator dependency, and clinical effectiveness.
This systematic review and network meta-analysis thoroughly assessed the available data because the wide range of wavelengths makes direct clinical comparisons extremely challenging. To assist doctors optimize patient outcomes during complex periodontal surgical treatment procedures, this methodology efficiently evaluated the safety of many laser modalities and traditional treatments at the same time.
The review complies with PRISMA 2020 reporting criteria and was recorded in PROSPERO. 15 randomized controlled studies were found using the search method used in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled studies (CENTRAL), Directory of Open Access journals (DOAJ), MEDLINE, and PubMed. The data extraction process was followed by both qualitative and quantitative analysis, network meta-analysis, and the Cochrane RoB-2 tool for bias assessment.
2 of the 15 studies in the qualitative analysis had a high risk of bias (RoB), 4 had a low risk, and 9 had a moderate risk. 9 studies for pocket depth, clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival index (GI), and plaque index (PI) were included in a network meta-analysis that showed a linked evidence structure. Effect size (Z) for GI = 1.78 (P = 0.08), PI = 1.39 (P = 0.17), CAL = 1.45 (P = 0.15), and probing depth (PD) = 4.23 (P < 0.0001).
Overall, the combined data demonstrates that both diode and erbium lasers provide noticeable benefits in periodontal flap microsurgery, especially in terms of soft-tissue response, early healing, and postoperative comfort. Because they may be applied to both soft and hard tissues, erbium lasers appear to be more versatile. The bulk of the research that is now available is based on diode lasers, which have potent biostimulatory and antibacterial properties.
Source:
Hegde, R., Gopalakrishnan, D., Sidhartan, S., Vinay, V., & Grover, H. S. (2026). Efficacy and safety of different laser types in periodontal flap microsurgery: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Indian Journal of Dental Research: Official Publication of Indian Society for Dental Research. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijdr.ijdr_874_25
