Introduction: Dental lasers are applied in all areas of oral surgery, including soft-tissue and bone surgery as well as in biostimulation of postoperative wounds for the induction of healing processes. The main types of lasers used for soft tissue oral surgery are CO2 lasers, Nd:YAG lasers, diode lasers, erbium lasers Er:YAG and Er,Cr:YSGG.
Aim: The purpose of the literature review presented in this paper is to summarize the most frequently discussed advantages and drawbacks of dental laser application in soft-tissue surgical manipulation and to provide an overview of the indications for use of different laser types. The paper also discusses the advantages of dental lasers over conventional surgical methods.
Materials and Methods: The academic databases and search engines used as sources were: PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar from January 2010 to December 2020. A total of 175 publications relevant to the topic concerned were found. Thirty-six articles were then shortlisted as containing specific information on the practical application of lasers in oral surgery. The present study focuses on articles examining signs such as need for anesthesia, bleeding, coagulation ability, duration of surgery, need for sutures, fear of manipulation, presence of postoperative scars and recurrences.
Results: Laser treatment provides possibility for surgery without infiltration anesthesia, along reduction of intraoperative bleeding, shortening of operative time, and eliminating the need for wound suturing. Erbium lasers (Er,Cr:YSGG, Er:YAG) prove to be the least invasive and thus contribute to faster healing with the possibility of histological evaluation, but appear to be inferior with regard to their hemostatic ability, where CO2 and diode lasers show better results.
Conclusion: Dental lasers are an effective alternative in performing soft-tissue surgery since operating with them offers a number of benefits both for the patient and the oral surgeon.
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