Efficacy of non-surgical periodontal therapy with adjunct Nd:YAG laser therapy in the treatment of periodontal inflammation among patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus: A short-term pilot study

Background and aim Effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) with and without adjunct neodymium-doped:yttrium, aluminum and garnet (Nd:YAG) laser therapy in the treatment of periodontal inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains uninvestigated. The aim of the present short-term pilot study was to assess efficacy of NSPT with adjunct Nd:YAG laser therapy in the treatment of periodontal inflammation in patients with and without T2DM. Methods Twenty-two patients with T2DM (Group-1) and 22 controls (Group-2) were included. Teeth on test- and control-sites underwent NSPT with and without Nd:YAG laser therapy, respectively. Periodontal parameters (plaque index [PI], bleeding on probing [BOP] and probing pocket depth ≥ 4 mm [PPD]) were measured at baseline and after 1 and 3 months. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were measured at baseline and after 3 months. Results In Group-1, PI, BOP and PPD ≥ 4 mm were higher at the control-sites (6.4% [P < 0.05], 5.5% [P < 0.05] and 3.5% [P < 0.05], respectively) than test-sites (1.5%, 2.1% and 1.1%, respectively) at 1-month follow-up. In Group-2, PI, BOP and PPD ≥ 4 mm were higher at the control-sites (4.2% [P < 0.05], 2.2% [P < 0.05] and 2.2% [P < 0.05], respectively) than test-sites (1.2%, 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively). At 3-months follow-up, there was no difference in PI, BOP and PPD ≥ 4 mm among test- and control-sites in both groups. At 3-month follow-up, mean HbA1c levels were comparable among patients in groups 1 and 2 (5 ± 0.2% and 4.6 ± 0.1%, respectively). Conclusion These short-term pilot results support our hypothesis that NSPT + Nd:YAG laser therapy is more effective in reducing periodontal inflammation in patients with and without T2DM than when NSPT is used alone. Further long-term randomized controlled clinical trials are needed in this regard.