Abstract
This randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluated the 12-month clinical and microbiological efficacy of adjunctive Erbium, Chromium:Yttrium-Scandium-Gallium-Garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser therapy compared to conventional mechanical debridement alone in the treatment of peri-implantitis. Forty-eight patients with a single peri-implantitis lesion were randomly allocated to either the Test Group (mechanical debridement using plastic curettes combined with Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation, λ=2780 nm) or the Control Group (mechanical debridement and 0.12% chlorhexidine irrigation). Clinical parameters, including probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI), and clinical attachment level (CAL), were recorded at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Subgingival plaque samples were analyzed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to quantify key periodontopathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola). At 12 months, the Test Group exhibited significantly greater reductions in PPD (mean reduction of 2.4 ± 0.5 mm vs. 1.2 ± 0.4 mm in the Control Group; p < 0.05) and BOP (reduction of 65% vs. 38%; p < 0.05). Furthermore, the laser-treated group demonstrated a significantly lower abundance of red complex pathogens at the 12-month follow-up compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Adjunctive Er,Cr:YSGG laser therapy provides superior clinical and microbiological outcomes over a 12-month period, offering a safe and highly effective therapeutic approach for the management of peri-implantitis.
