Er:YAG laser versus topıcal ozone as an adjunct to non-surgıcal perıodontal therapy :A clınıcal and mıcrobıologıcal study

The objective of this study was to compare the clinical and microbiological effects of Er:YAG laser and topical ozonize gas used as adjunctive to initial periodontal therapy in chronic periodontitis (CP) patients. Total of 30 CP patients (18 female, 12 male) ages ranging between 31-56, with a probing depth (PD) ? 5 mm and sulcus bleeding index (SBI) ? 2 in at least 3 single-rooted teeth within each quadrant were selected and divided into 3 groups randomly. Groups of patients received: 1) Er:YAG laser combined with scaling and root planing (SRP) (SRP+Er:YAG laser), 2) topical ozonized gas combined with SRP (SRP+Ozon), 3) SRP. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained from selected teeth with PD ? 5 mm and SBI ? 2 at days 0 and 90. Following this procedure, clinical measurements including plaque index (PI), SBI, PD, relative attachment level (RAL) were performed. For the microbiological evaluation, total viable cell count (TVC) was performed and proportions of obligate and facultative anaerobic microorganisms were determined.At the end of the observation period, statistically significant improvements in all clinical parameters were observed within each group. Intergroup comparison of differences of PI values did not show statistically significance, however PI, PD, RAL (P<0.05) values revealed statistically significant difference existed in favor of SRP+Er:YAG laser group. Parallel to the clinical changes, all treatments, reduced the number of total bacteria and proportions of obligately anaerobic microorganisms in all groups reduced at statistically significant levels (p<0.05). Proportions of facultative anaerobic microorganisms significantly increased at the end of the observation period within each group. Intergroup comparisons of microbiological parameters revealed no statistically significant difference.SRP+Er:YAG laser group reflected clinically more superiority than the other groups. However, clinical superiority of SRP+Er:YAG laser group was not reflected in microbiological parameters.Key Words: Er:YAG Laser, SRP, Ozone, Chronic Periodontitis