Periodontal Pocket Therapy using Er:YAG Laser: Systematic Review of Literature and Introduction of a New Treatment Procedure

Abstract

Recently, lasers are being increasingly used in periodontal therapy. Among various lasers, the Er:YAG laser is the most suitable for periodontal treatment because this laser enables effective ablation of periodontal hard and soft tissues with minimal thermal side-effects and thereby does not impair wound healing. A number of clinical studies have applied this laser for periodontal pocket treatment and some reported positive results; however, we have not reached a consensus regarding their effects due to differences in the method and parameters of laser irradiation for pocket therapy. In this article, we review the findings of previous clinical studies and introduce a new treatment procedure using Er:YAG laser combined with conventional pocket treatment.