Effect of Nd:YAG Laser-Assisted Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy on Clinical Periodontal and Serum Biomarkers in Patients With and Without Coronary Artery Disease: A Short-Term Pilot Study

Background/Objective: We hypothesized that nonsurgical-periodontal-therapy (NSPT) with adjunct Nd:YAG laser therapy is more effective in reducing periodontal inflammatory parameters (plaque index [PI], bleeding-on-probing [BOP], and probing-pocket-depth [PPD]) and serum interleukin-1beta (IL-1 beta) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels in patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) than NSPT alone. The aim of this short-term pilot study was to assess the effect of NSPT+Nd:YAG laser therapy on periodontal parameters and serum IL-1 beta and MMP-9 levels in patients with and without CAD. Study Design: A prospective randomized clinical study was conducted on 87 patients who were divided into two groups: Group-1: 44 patients with CAD and periodontal disease (PD) and Group-2: 43 patients with PD alone. Treatment-wise, these individuals were randomly divided into two subgroups: (i) NSPT alone and (ii) NSPT+Nd: YAG laser therapy. Demographic information was collected using a self-completed questionnaire. Periodontal parameters (PI, BOP, and PPD) and serum IL-1 beta and MMP-9 levels were measured at baseline and after 3 months of treatment. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: At 3 months follow-up, PI (P<0.01), BOP (P<0.01), PPD > 4 mm (P<0.01), and serum IL-1 beta (P<0.01) and MMP-9 (P<0.01) levels were significantly higher in patients treated with NSPT alone than those treated with NSPT+Nd:YAG laser therapy. Among patients that underwent NSPT+laser therapy in both groups, periodontal parameters and serum IL-1 beta, and MMP-9 levels were comparable at 3-months follow-up. Conclusion: NSPT+Nd:YAG laser therapy may be more effective in reducing periodontal inflammation and serum IL-1 beta and MMP-9 levels in patients with and without CAD than NSPT alone. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.