Mucous membrane healing following vestibuloplasty via 940-nm diode laser and scalpel: an in vivo study

Purpose The surgical scalpel is frequently employed in oral procedures, albeit with certain drawbacks such as post-operative bleeding, discomfort, and swelling. In this regard, the diode laser presents itself as a promising alternative for oral soft tissue procedures. Consequently, the present study aimed to appraise the regeneration of epithelial mucosa post-vestibuloplasty using both the diode laser and surgical scalpel. Methods In this clinical trial study, 12 male rabbits were utilized in total. On one side of the mouth, a surgical scalpel was employed, while on the other, a diode laser (940-nm continuous wave) was utilized. The preparatory stages necessary for histological assessment were completed. Following the surgical site sampling, the data underwent analysis using version 21 of the SPSS program. Results The group that underwent diode laser treatment demonstrated a greater degree of epithelium development, leading to a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Notably, the diode laser-treated group exhibited complete epithelial repair, while the surgical scalpel group only demonstrated marginal repair. Furthermore, the diode laser-treated group exhibited a greater degree of normal tissue development and keratinization. Conversely, the surgical scalpel–treated group exhibited more membrane formation, granulation tissue, inflammation, bleeding, and the presence of eosinophils. Conclusion The group that received treatment with the diode laser demonstrated a higher level of completeness in the development of the epithelium. As such, the utilization of the diode laser in vestibuloplasty is deemed to be the recommended approach due to its heightened efficacy and the lower incidence of complications.