Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of diode laser surgery and the scalpel surgery in the removal of inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH). Background data: Diode laser systems are proposed as an alternative to scalpel surgery on surgeries involving oral soft tissues. Some of the advantages of the laser systems are ease of application, adequate coagulation, reduced postoperative pain, and decreased scarring. In addition, there are increasing data on the antibacterial effects of the diode lasers in dentistry; however, the direct bactericidal role of the diode laser in oral soft tissue procedures has not yet been investigated. Materials and methods: A total of 22 patients were enrolled in this study. One side of IFH was randomly assigned for excision with scalpel blade or with diode laser. Perioperative bleeding, postoperative pain, wound healing, and bacterial counts were evaluated for both methods. Results: The bleeding on the side treated by diode laser was found significantly lower (p < 0.05). A notable reduction in total bacterial counts was observed in the laser group after the first postoperative day. However, this trend did not reach statistical significance. No significant differences were recorded regarding subjective postoperative pain between the groups (p = 0.065). The healing of the postoperative wounds was significantly faster in the conventional group at each time point. Conclusions: Diode laser has offered some advantages over conventional method in the management of IFH. However, large-cohort comparative studies are required to provide additional data regarding the wound healing capacity of the diode laser.
Keywords: digital image analysis; diode laser; inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia; wound healing.