A Closer Look at Lasers: A Non-surgical Adjunct Treatment of Periodontal Disease (620)

This course will demonstrate the use of different lasers as an adjunct tool to non-surgical periodontal treatment. Two different treatment modalities using high-intensity and low-intensity lasers will be presented. Laser-Assisted Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy utilizes high-intensity lasers. The heat from high-intensity lasers can deactivate nonsporulating bacteria, leading to decontamination, reducing local inflammation, and stimulating healing. In contrast, specific wavelengths from a low-level laser in combination with a photosensitizer can also reduce bacteria levels and improve inflammation and healing.

This lecture will give participants an evidence-based overview of these novel adjunctive treatments that can be introduced to improve non-surgical periodontal treatment outcomes.