Photobiomodulation for primary wound healing and patient-reported outcomes after esthetic crown lengthening surgery: A pilot randomized clinical trial.

To evaluate the efficacy of photobiomodulation (PBM) on primary wound healing and patient-centered outcomes following esthetic clinical crown lengthening with osteotomy over a three-month follow-up period. Twenty-seven systemically healthy patients presenting < 10% bleeding on probing and altered passive eruption were enrolled in a split-mouth, triple-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial. Each patient underwent esthetic crown lengthening surgery in two hemi-arches: a control group (CG), treated with surgery alone, and a test group (TG), treated with surgery followed by PBM (660 nm, 100 mW, 30 J, 5 min, sweeping motion). Laser irradiation was performed immediately after surgery and on postoperative days 4, 7, 11, and 14. Clinical assessments were conducted at baseline and at 4, 7, 11, 14, 45 days, and three months postoperatively. Outcomes included bleeding on probing, probing depth, gingival phenotype, width of keratinized mucosa, wound healing assessed by the modified Landry Healing Index, postoperative pain measured by a numerical visual scale, oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14), patient satisfaction, and esthetic outcomes assessed by the Pink Esthetic Score. Statistical analyses were performed with a significance level set at p < 0.05. All patients completed the study and remained periodontally healthy throughout the follow-up period. No statistically significant intergroup differences were observed for wound healing, postoperative pain, or professional esthetic outcomes at any evaluation time point (p > 0.05). However, esthetic crown lengthening surgery resulted in significant improvements in patient satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life from baseline to three months of follow-up (p < 0.001). Photobiomodulation did not enhance primary wound healing or reduce postoperative pain following esthetic clinical crown lengthening with osteotomy. Nevertheless, the surgical procedure significantly improved patient satisfaction and quality of life over a three-month follow-up period.