Evaluation of the adjunctive use of Er:YAG laser or erythritol powder air-polishing in the treatment of peri-implant mucositis: A randomized clinical trial.

AIM: To assess the efficacy of Er:YAG laser (ERL) and erythritol powder air-polishing (AP) in addition to the submarginal instrumentation in the non-surgical treatment of peri-implant mucositis (PM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with at least one implant diagnosed with PM were included in the present 6-month randomized clinical trial (RCT). Implants were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups after submarginal instrumentation: AP (test 1 group), ERL (test 2 group) or no adjunctive methods (control group). The primary and secondary outcomes were, respectively, bleeding on probing (BoP) reduction and, complete disease resolution (total absence of BoP) and probing pocket depth (PPD) changes. The patient and the implant were considered the statistical unit. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were enrolled in the study. At each time point, significant BoP and PPD reductions were observed within each group. Intergroup analysis did not show statistically significant differences. Complete disease resolution ranged between 29% and 31%. The logistic regression showed that supramucosal restoration margin, PPD < 4 mm and vestibular keratinized mucosa (KM) significantly influenced the probability to obtain treatment success. CONCLUSION: The adjunctive use of AP and ERL in PM non-surgical therapy does not seem to provide any significant or clinically relevant benefit in terms of BoP and PPD reductions and complete disease resolution, over the use of submarginal instrumentation alone. Baseline PPD < 4 mm, presence of buccal KM and supramucosal restoration margin may play a role in the complete resolution of PM.

Conventional versus laser gingivectomy in the management of gingival enlargement during orthodontic treatment: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the use of diode laser with conventional surgery evaluating the effectiveness of gingivectomy as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment in the management of gingival enlargement (GE) during orthodontic treatment. TRIAL DESIGN: Prospective three-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial with 1:1:1 allocation ratio. METHODS: Sixty subjects (33 males and 27 females), with a mean age of 14.4 ± 1.9 years, were selected according to inclusion criteria: overgrown gingivae on the labial side of the anterior teeth secondary to fixed appliance therapy, six maxillary anterior teeth present, and healthy non-smokers patients. Patients were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to three groups by a computer-generated randomization list and by a block size of 4. The allocation information was concealed in opaque and sealed envelopes by the statistician. In the first group, all subjects underwent a conventional scalpel gingivectomy of the maxillary anterior sextant. In the second group, all subjects were treated using laser-assisted gingivectomy; while subjects assigned to the third group underwent only non-surgical periodontal treatment and served as control group (CG). The observer who performed all the measurements was blinded to the group assignment. Blinding was obtained by eliminating from the elaboration file every reference to patient group assignment. Intergroup comparisons of changes in the periodontal parameters were conducted at 1, 3, and 6 months using ANOVA with repeated measures and Tukey's post hoc tests. The significance level was set at P <0.05. RESULTS: After 1 month, the TGs showed a significant improvement of all periodontal parameters when compared with the CG. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two TGs. At the 3-month observation, a relapse occurred in the TGs, while the CG showed the greater improvement of soft tissue health. In the 6-month versus 3-month evaluation, no significant differences between the three groups were found for any periodontal measurements. In the long-term evaluation (6 months versus baseline), a significant greater reduction of pockets were found in the TGs when compared with the CG. CONCLUSIONS: The adjunct use of both scalpel gingivectomy and laser gingivectomy was more effective in controlling gingival inflammation than non-surgical periodontal treatment alone at 1, 3 and 6 months. In the control group, greater improvement in the periodontal parameters were observed within 3 months, depending on a self-care approach for the management of GE. LIMITATIONS: This study was a short-term study (6-month follow-up). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT03514316).

Prevalence and risk indicators of gingival recessions in an Italian school of dentistry and dental hygiene: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this cross-sectional study is to (i) determine the prevalence, extent, severity, and distribution of gingival recessions and patient perception in a young population and (ii) to identify potential risk indicators. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred fifty-one students with a mean age of 22.9 ± 4.7, attending the School of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (Milan, Italy) were included. The subjects had undergone a clinical evaluation, by two calibrated examiner, and a questionnaire. Demographic and clinical data were collected to evaluate association of these factors with gingival recessions. RESULTS: The prevalence of gingival recessions at patient and tooth level was 39% and 5.2%, respectively. The only factor associated with the presence of GR was age. On the other hand, age and smoking were associated with the extent, whereas BOP, NCCLs and KT were associated with the severity. Out of 98 subjects presenting at least one GR, 63 (64%) were conscious of the presence of the GR. NCCLs were also strongly associated with the perception of the recession by the patient. CONCLUSIONS: There is a low prevalence of buccal gingival recessions in this sample of Italian students. More than 50% of the sample was aware of the problem. Almost all patients presenting symptomatology or aesthetic concern requested appropriate therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings highlight the low relevance of gingival recessions in daily practice and the importance of controlling potential risk indicators in young populations.

Clinical performance of minimally invasive periodontal surgery in the treatment of infrabony defects: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To assess the effectiveness, in terms of clinical performance and patient perception, of minimally invasive periodontal surgeries (MIPSs), and to compare MIPSs to traditional surgery in the treatment of periodontal infrabony defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search and a manual search were carried out to identify studies investigating clinical (CAL, PPD, REC), radiographic (bone fill) and patient's centred (VAS) outcomes at least 6 months after MIPSs. A linear mixed-effect model was used for meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the study quality (RCT or case series). A meta-analysis assessing differences in clinical parameters between MIPSs and traditional flaps was also performed. RESULTS: Meta-analysis from the 18 included studies revealed a PPD reduction of 4.24 mm (95% CI = 3.79-4.69 mm), a CAL gain of 3.89 mm (95% CI = 3.42-4.35 mm), a REC increase of 0.44 mm (95% CI = 0.11-0.77 mm), a radiographic bone fill gain of 58.25% (95% CI = 42.30%-74.21%) and a VAS value of 1.16 (95% CI = 0.78-1.54). Based on 2 RCTs, MIPSs are more effective than traditional surgery for PPD reduction (0.93 mm, 95% CI = 1.71-0.15) and CAL gain (1 mm, 95% CI = 1.75-.24). CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive periodontal surgeries may be considered for the treatment of periodontal infrabony defects. However, the real effect cannot be systematically evaluated due to the paucity of studies comparing MIPSs to traditional flap for periodontal reconstructive surgery.

Outcomes After 25 Years of Periodontal Treatment and Maintenance of a Patient Affected by Generalized Severe Aggressive Periodontitis.

This report describes the long-term outcomes of nonsurgical periodontal therapy and supportive periodontal treatment (SPT) of a 21-year-old patient affected by generalized aggressive periodontitis at multiple teeth with a compromised prognosis. After 25 years of SPT, no teeth had been extracted and no periodontal pockets associated with bleeding on probing were present. Radiographic analysis showed an improvement in infrabony defects, demonstrating long-term improvement is possible with nonsurgical periodontal treatment provided that smoking is not present and the patient is included in a strict SPT.

Flap approaches in plastic periodontal and implant surgery: critical elements in design and execution.

AIM: To identify critical elements in design and execution of coronally advanced flap, lateral positioned flap and their variations for the treatment of facial gingival recessions or peri-implant soft tissue dehiscences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical studies were identified with both electronic and hand searches, and examined for the following aspects: flap design and incision techniques, flap elevation, root conditioning, flap mobility, flap stability and suturing. Moreover, prognostic factors for complete recession coverage were identified. RESULTS: Some critical elements are evident in flap design and execution: the dimension and the thickness of tissue positioned over the denuded roots; the use on root surface of enamel matrix derivate; the stability and suturing of the flap in a position coronal to the cemento-enamel junction. The pre-determination of the clinical cemento-enamel junction, smoking status, operator surgical skills and the compliance to a supportive care programme have a role in obtaining and maintaining a complete root coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Different flap approaches are available when performing periodontal plastic surgery, resulting in a great variability in clinical outcomes. The possibility of using pedicle flaps alone to achieve complete soft tissue coverage of facial implant dehiscence has not yet been investigated.