Efficacy of 980 nm diode laser and 2940 nm Er: YAG laser in gingival depigmentation: A comparative study

Background Gingival hyper-pigmentation is an esthetics problem in patients with excessive gingival display. Laser ablation has been suggested recently as the most effective, pleasant, and reliable technique for gingival depigmentation compared to blade surgery. Aim The present study aimed to identify and compare the effectiveness of two types of lasers, Er:YAG laser-2940 nm and Diode laser-980 nm, in gingival depigmentation in the maxilla and mandible. Patients/Methods 20 participants, 16 males, and 4 females, whose ages ranged between 18 and 35 years, were recruited using simplified random sampling. Oral pigmentation was measured at pre- and two postoperative follow-ups, 1 month, and 6 months, according to the oral pigmentation index. Furthermore, the study assessed postoperative intensity of pain using the Visual Analogue Scale, bleeding and healing process in both groups. Results There was a significant decrease in the oral pigmentation index scores, 1 month (0.90 +/- 0.64) and 6 months (1.55 +/- 0.60) after the operation (P < .001). No significant differences were detected between the two study groups regarding the mean ranking on the oral pigmentation index pre-operatively (P = .547), 1 month after the operation (P = .154), and 6 months after the operation (P = .831). Conclusions The Er:YAG laser and Diode laser both significantly reduced gingival pigmentation with no significant differences between the effectiveness of the two types of laser in treating gingival hyper-pigmentation.