Effectiveness of laser-assisted gingival troughing and conventional gingival displacement methods in fixed prosthodontics: A systematic review.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: High-level evidence that gingival troughing using dental lasers has better outcomes for the management of gingival tissue surrounding prepared teeth compared with conventional gingival displacement methods is lacking.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to review in vivo studies on gingival troughing using dental lasers to compare achieved gingival displacement, influence on periodontal health, and other relevant clinical parameters with different existing gingival displacement methods.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and identified studies through January 2022. An electronic search was conducted on the digital databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase to identify relevant studies with no limit on publication year.

RESULTS

Nine studies were included in this systematic review. Five studies measured achieved horizontal gingival displacement, where lasers show the highest pooled mean of 0.53 mm, among all other displacement methods. Six of the 9 included studies measured periodontal health parameters, with a follow-up time up to 1 year, and other clinically relevant parameters: hemorrhagic control, time needed, ease of use, tooth mobility, pain, and tooth hypersensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Gingival displacement and bleeding control appeared to be better achieved using lasers. The time needed to achieve gingival displacement was shortest and easiest with lasers. Lasers resulted in either less or comparable gingival recession, lower impact on tooth hypersensitivity, and less pain during the procedure than other methods.