Objective: The present study was aimed to compare the clinical and biochemical effectiveness of guided tissue regeneration (GTR) alone and combined with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) application in the treatment of furcation II periodontal defects, over a period of 6 months.
Material and methods: Thirty-three furcation defects were included in the study. Seventeen of these defects were treated with GTR plus LLLT, and sixteen of them were treated with GTR alone. Probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), horizontal probing depth (HPD), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OC) levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were recorded at baseline and at postoperative 3rd and 6th months.
Results: Healing was uneventful in all cases. At the 3rd and 6th months, both treatment modalities-GTR and GTR plus LLLT--showed improved PPD, CAL, and HPD values compared to their baseline values. ALP and OC levels in GCF increased after the treatment in both groups (p < 0.05). When compared the two groups, at the 6th month, PPD, CAL, HPD, and ALP values showed significantly more improvement in laser group than non-laser group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The results of this study showed that both treatments led to significantly favorable clinical improvements in furcation periodontal defects. LLLT plus GTR may be a more effective treatment modality compared to GTR alone.
Keywords: Guided tissue regeneration; alkaline phosphatase; furcation defects; gingival crevicular fluid; low-level laser therapy; osteocalcin; periodontal healing.