A comparative evaluation of laser bandage and surgical stent as palatal donor site dressing after free gingival graft surgery: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The free gingival graft (FGG) harvesting technique creates an open wound that heals by secondary intention. Retarded wound healing, excessive bleeding, and postoperative pain have been reported as frequent complications. To overcome these problems, various products have been developed to heal the ailing site. Lasers can be considered a good choice for wound coverage of the donor site due to their effective tissue ablation, hemostatic, and bactericidal effects. The present randomized clinical trial was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the diode laser bandage in achieving donor site hemostasis and compare wound healing with the surgical stent.

METHODS: Twenty-four healthy individuals meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for the study. Following graft harvesting, the participants were assigned to the control (gel form hemostatic agent with surgical stent [GF+SS] [n=12]) or test (laser bandage [LB] [n=12]) groups. Clinical parameters, including pain (visual analog scale [VAS] score), bleeding, re-epithelialization, wound healing, color match, and number of analgesics consumed, were recorded at baseline and on the 7th, 14th, and 30th days. P<0.05 was set for statistical significance.

RESULTS: Surgical procedures and postoperative sequelae were uneventful. VAS scores between the control and test groups were significant at baseline and on the 7th and 14th days. Parameters such as re- epithelialization, color match, and number of analgesics achieved statistically significant improvements.

CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that the laser bandage is a better option for palatal wound protection following FGG harvesting.