The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of a combined periodontal treatment of scaling and
root planing (SRP) and
Nd:YAG laser (NDL) in
chronic periodontitis (CP) patients. This was accomplished by determining the periodontal indices and the
interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and
matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) levels of the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). This study was performed according to a random split-mouth-design, controlled clinical trial for sulcular
debridement on 40 teeth from 20 patients with generalized moderate
chronic periodontitis. The periodontal healing outcomes were compared after periodontal treatment with either SRP + NDL at 1 W (test side) or SRP (control side). Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (
PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded, and samples of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were taken at baseline and post-
therapy (3 and 9 months
after treatment). The GCF samples were analyzed for IL-1β and MMP-8. There was postoperative improvement of all clinical parameters in both groups, but test side GI,
PPD, and CAL recovery was higher than that of the control side (p < 0.05). Although levels of IL-1β and MMP-8 in GCF
after treatment were lower in the test side than the control side, there was not a statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). In the long term, we found that SRP + NDL treatment of
periodontal pockets was more effective than SRP alone in reducing
PPD, CAL, GI, and GCF values.