Abstract
In an attempt to apply surgery in the oral region, especially periodontal surgery, we investigated the effect of wound healing on the dorsal skin of eight guinea pigs using a 4 W contact semiconductor laser scalpel and compared the results with those obtained when using referential electric and steel scalpels. After surgical incision on the skin of the subjects (20mm in length and 2mm in depth) under the same operative conditions, healing was optically and histopathologically inspected on days 3, 7, and 14 immediately after the treatment. Considerable bleeding at the incision was observed when using an electric scalpel rather than a steel scalpel, but bleeding was negligible using a laser scalpel. The healing process using the steel scalpel was most significant in recovery, and was about the same for use of the laser and electric scalpels. In the histological inspection, nearly identical healing was observed in incisions made using the laser and electric scalpels, and primary healing was observed after 3 days of treatment using the steel scalpel. The experimental results revealed the utility of laser scalpels for application to periodontal surgery. Healing of the incised wound using this tool was almost equivalent to that using the electric scalpel, and proved effec tive for prevention of post-incisional bleeding. Moreover, there was no organic change in the circumferential tissues as a result of irradiation treatment.
