Is erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser versus conventional rotary osteotomy better in the postoperative period for lower third molar surgery? Randomized split-mouth clinical study

Purpose Lasers have been extensively used in dentistry for several applications. We investigated and compared the use of an erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser and conventional rotary instruments for bone removal in third molar surgery. Materials and Methods We implemented a randomized, split-mouth clinical trial. Patients with bilateral and symmetrical third molar impaction referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, were enrolled in the study. Each patient was treated once with the erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser and once with conventional rotary instruments for bone removal during third molar surgery. Pain, swelling, and trismus were taken into account to match the 2 techniques. In addition, the times required to complete osteotomy and for the full operation were recorded. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were computed, and the P value was set at.05. Results The sample was composed of 15 patients (8 men and 7 women) ranging in age from 18 to 30 years. Pain perceived in the laser-treated group was significantly less than that in the conventional group (P =.0013). This also was true for trismus (P =.0002) and swelling. The operating time for osteotomy was longer in the laser group. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the laser could be an interesting alternative to conventional rotary instruments. Future studies with a larger number of patients are required to confirm the conclusions achieved from this work.