Evaluation of clinical, biochemical parameters and epithelization levels in wound healing after conventional method and diode laser gingivectomy

Gingival enlargement, comprises a common feature of gingival disease in which an increase in size of the gingiva is observed, which may result from chronic or acute inflammatory changes. Different techniques, such as laser and electrosurgery are used in the treatment of gingival enlargement. This study aims to compare and investigate clinical parameters after gingivectomy techniques with conventional method (control group) and diode laser (test group) in terms of epithelization levels in the healing process, levels of IL-18, PDGF-AA, IGF-1 in gingival fluid and pain levels. Split-mouth designed of operation was created; A total of 21 systemically healthy patients (11 females, 10 males) with chronic inflammatory gingival enlargement in the right and left anterior regions of the maxilla and mandible was included in the study. Clinical periodontal parameters were measured from the patients before and on the 14 and 21st days after the operation and gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected. To evaluate the epithelization levels after the operation, the wound area was stained with mira-2-tone dye, and intraoral photographs were taken on the 3, 7, 14 and 21st days immediately after the operation. Patients were asked to fill the VAS pain scale on the same day, 3, 7 and 14th days after the procedure evaluate the postoperative pain levels. When the plaque index, gingival index, probable pocket depth, bleeding on probing and clinical attachment level were examined in the test and control groups, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups in all periods. Intraoral photographs were taken to evaluate epithelization levels after the operation were analyzed in the Image J program. When the epithelization level values between the test and control groups were examined, the level of non-epithelialized areas in the test group was less than the control group on the 3rd day. Still, there was no statistically significant difference between all time periods. It was observed that epithelization was mostly completed in all patients on the 21st day. When all time periods were examined in terms of biochemical parameters, IL-18, PDGF-AA and IGF-1 levels were found to be similar, and no statistically significant difference was observed. When the postoperative pain levels were evaluated, no statistically significant difference was found between the test and control groups. Within this information, it can be said that gingivectomy operations performed with diode laser and conventional method have no superiority over each other.