Effect of Low-Level Laser on Pain and Healing of Donor Site Following Free Gingival Graft

The Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Patient's Pain and Healing of Palatal Donor Site Following Free Gingival Graft: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

The aim of this randomized split-mouth design clinical trial is to clinically evaluate the effectiveness of diode laser in the healing of donor site of palate in free gingival graft.

Free gingival graft is the most predictable and successful method for increasing the width of keratinized tissue around teeth/dental implants and vestibular deepening. However, patient discomfort during the healing time is a major disadvantage of this procedure. Several methods have been introduced to accelerate the healing time and reduction of patient's pain during first days after surgery. Low-level lasers have shown promising results in biostimulation of cell growth and differentiation in cultures. However, there are lack of well designed double blind placebo controlled randomized controlled clinical studies evaluating the effects of Low-level laser therapy in acceleration of wound healing and pain relief of patients undergoing free gingival grafts.

Inclusion Criteria:

• lack of keratinized tissue around teeth (bilateral)

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients with systemic diseases
• non-cooperative patients
• smokers
• poor oral hygiene
• root surface restorations or active caries