Efficacy of adjunctive photodynamic therapy and lasers in the non-surgical periodontal treatment: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and lasers have been widely applied in non-surgical treatments in recent decades; however, their efficacy is not known. The objective of this study was to compare adjunctive PDT, different lasers, and scaling and root planning (SRP) in the management of chronic periodontitis.

METHODS

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assessing adjunctive PDT, different lasers, and SRP were identified. Relevant data were extracted, and the quality and risk of bias were evaluated. Network meta-analyses were performed to analyze clinical attachment level (CAL) outcomes.

RESULTS

Forty-four studies, including 10 types of adjuncts, were included. PDT + SRP and PDT + diode laser (DL)+SRP were significantly more efficient than SRP at the 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Adjunctive potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser showed significantly more CAL gains than SRP at 6 months. The most effective adjunctive treatment at 3 months was PDT + DL (60 %) and at 6 months was KTP laser (71 %).

CONCLUSIONS

PDT + DL + SRP and PDT + SRP were found to be preferentially recommended methods. KTP + SRP was significantly superior to SRP at the 6-month follow-up. However, further investigations are necessary.