Introduction: Leukoplakia is a potentially malignant epithelial lesion with carcinomatous percentages transformation comprehended between 1% and 7% for the homogeneous forms and from 4% to 15% for the non-homogeneous ones. Their removal can be performed by scalpel or laser surgery (excision or vaporization). Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a bloodless treatment option, based on the involvement of three elements: light, photosensitizer and oxygen. When the molecules of the photosensitizer are activated by a low power laser, energy is transferred to molecular oxygen creating highly reactive radicals of oxygen, that have a cytotoxic effect on target cells.
Aim of the study: According to several studies in Literature, it has been decided to evaluate through an initial clinical trial, the efficacy of PDT using topical aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) activated by a laser diode (λ = 635 nm) to treat potentially oral malignant lesions and to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages derived from the use of this technique.
Materials and Methods: Five patients, affected by oral leukoplakia (OL) and oral verrucous leukoplakia (OVL) on the mucosal cheeks, labial commissure, fornix and retromolar areas, have been treated using the PDT. Irradiation time with Diode laser: 1000s. Irradiation mode: Scanning. 5 cycles of 3 minute + final cycle of 100 seconds. Each cycle has been interrupted by pauses of 3 minutes.
Results and conclusion: PDT results to be effective in the treatment of OL, especially on OVL. In fact, OVL, due to its irregularity, has got an area of increased retention for the gel that is more difficult to be removed by salivary flow. This could explain the better results obtained in this case rather than in those ones of OL. Furthermore, the advantages have been represented by: less invasivity, high sensitivity for altered tissues, minimal scar tissue, less side effects and no pain during and after operation. In contrast to this, the disadvantages were: longer treatment duration and the high cost.
Vascular malformations are a very heterogeneous group of circulatory system’s diseases that can involve different kind
of vessels: arterial, venous or lymphatic ones.
Many treatments, such as conventional surgery, embolization, steroid therapy and laser therapy, are available for
vascular lesions.
The laser approach relies more therapeutic techniques: the transmucosal thermophotocoagulation, intralesional
photocoagulation, the excisional biopsy.
Today laser is demonstrated to be the gold standard technique to treat vascular lesions that allows a safe and efficient
treatment and a lower post-operative healing time. The only disadvantage is the risk of carbonization that could be
avoided by using the multiple-spot single pulsed wave technique.
Introduction: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease due to exposition to plaque and tartar. Conventional treatments consist of scaling and root planing (SRP) and antibiotics administration. Among them encouraging results have been obtained using alternative protocols, like the antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT).
Aim of the Study: Evaluation of PDT effects added to conventional methods.
Materials and Methods: 11 patients (4M/7F, 37-67 years aged, non-smoking) affected by untreated chronic periodontal disease, with >3mm pockets in at least 4 teeth were divided in two groups, test and control group. Each patient had to made full-intraoral before and after the treatment. The test group received SRP+PDT, while the control group was subjected to SRP. The PDT was performed through the HELBO®TheraLite (Bredent Medical), diode laser battery powered 670nm with an output of 75mW/cm2. The Helbo Blue photosensitizer, containing methylene blue, was used. The exposure time to the laser effect was of 10’’ for each site, for a total of 60’’ at 3J/cm2.
Results: Both groups had a significant improvement in the reduction of pocket depth (PD), above all in the test group. Statistical analysis was performed through the T-test, evaluating PD between the two groups p=0.96 (p> 0.05), resulting not statistically significant.
Conclusion: PDT is a promising support to SRP, achieving a significant reduction in the pocket depth, but more cases are needed to confirm the validity of the used protocol.
Oral leukoplakia is catalogued under the group of “potentially malignant disorders”. In daily practice, the World Health Organization definition “white patch or plaque that cannot be characterized clinically or histologically as any other disease” is completed by including the observation that it cannot be removed by simple scraping, thereby distinguishing it from pseudo-membranous candidiasis. The aim of this study is to find a definitive treatment of oral leukoplakia, because of its recurrence and its potentiality to the malignant transformation. There are currently different approaches to oral leukoplakia: scalpel surgery, systemic therapy (carotenoids, vitamins, etc.), electro-cauterization, cryotherapy and the use of the laser. In every lesion, biopsy and histological analysis has been performed to identify the stage and classification of the oral leukoplakia.
Laser can be used for the complete excision of the lesion (which is more effective, but also more invasive), for the photodynamic therapy (non-invasive procedure, which requires several applications) or for the vaporization of the lesion (very precise treatment and relatively easy to perform). Laser treatments have shown better healing, less soft tissues retraction and less post-operative pain, comparing with traditional surgery. The use of systemic therapies and smoking habit interruption (where present) has been also useful to reduce the lesions before the clinical treatments. The treatment has always to be supported by histological analysis to identify the risk and consequently planning the clinical approach.
Salivary gland diseases can include reactive lesions, obstructive lesions, and benign tumors. All these clinical entities are slow growing. Salivary glands reactive lesions, such as mucoceles, can result from extravasation of saliva into the surrounding soft tissue or from retention of saliva within the duct. Sialolithiasis, one of the most common obstructive lesions, is generally due to calculi, which are attributed to retention of saliva. Monomorphic adenoma is a salivary gland benign tumor, which is exclusively resulted from proliferation of epithelial cells, with no alterations interesting the connective tissue. The elective therapy of these lesions is surgical excision because sometimes they can be accompained by difficulties during chewing and phonation and can interfere with prosthesis’s stability.
The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of CO2 laser in the treatment of patients with salivary gland diseases. Three different cases – a mucocele, a scialolithiasis and a monomorphic adenoma – were treated with CO2 laser excision (CW and 4W), under local anesthesia. Two different techniques were used: circumferential incision for the adenoma, and mucosa preservation technique for mucocele and sialolithiasis. In each case final haemostasis was obtained by thermocoagulation, but suture was applied to guarantee good healing by sewing up the flaps. The patients were checked after twenty days and the healing was good.
The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest gas laser to be developed, and is still the highest-power continuous wave laser that is currently available. In dentistry the CO2 laser produces a beam of infrared light with the principal wavelength bands centering around 9.4 and 10.6 micrometers. Laser excision can be very useful in oral surgery. In the cases presented CO2 laser offered, differently from traditional surgery, simplified surgical technique, shorter duration of operation, minimal postoperative pain, minimal scarring, bloodless field and the possibility to realize minimally invasive surgery. These advantages made the operation tolerable for the patients, that became more compliant. Optimum functional results can be expected.
PHACES syndrome is a pediatric syndrome with cutaneous and extra-cutaneous manifestations, such as Posterior fossa defects, Hemangiomas, Arterial lesions, Cardiac abnormalities/aortic coarctation, Eye abnormalities and Sternal cleft. Facial hemangiomas affect the 75% of patients and may arise on the oral mucosa or perioral cutaneous regions. In this study we treated 26 Intraoral Haemangiomas (IH) and 15 Perioral Haemangiomas (PH) with diode laser photocoagulation using a laser of 800±10nm of wavelength. For IH treatment an optical fiber of 320 μm was used, and the laser power was set ted at 4 W (t-on 200 ms / t-off 400ms; fluence: 995 J/cm2). For PH treatment an optical fiber of 400 μm at the power of 5 W was used (t-on 100 ms / t-off 300 ms; fluence: 398 J/cm2). IH healed after one session (31%), the other (69%) after two sessions of Laser therapy. In each session, only a limited area of the PH was treated, obtaining a progressive improvement of the lesion. Diode laser photocoagulation is an effective option of treatment for IH and PH in patients affected by PHACE because of its minimal invasiveness. Moreover laser photocoagulation doesn’t have side effects and can be performed repeatedly without cumulative toxicity. Nevertheless, more studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy in mid and long time period.
Oral Vascular Malformations (OVM) are congenital anomalies characterized by morph-structural and/or functional changes of nature in severity and extension. OVM can affect any type of vessels arterial, venous or lymphatic and any capillary or anatomical. They are divided into two categories: low and high flow. In this study were treated 40 patients with OVM with a range size from 2 mm to 44 mm; they were subjected to clinical examination supported by Colour-Doppler Ultrasound instrumental examination and only for doubt cases the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was prescribed. Only low flow venous and capillary malformations were treated by GaAlAs laser (Wiser®, Lambda, Brindole,Italy, 980nm) and KTP laser (SmartLite®, DEKA, Florence, Italy, 532nm) with two different techniques: the Transmucosal Thermophotocoagulation (TMT) and the Intralesional Photocoagulation (ILP). These techniques permitted a good control of haemostasis, avoiding bleeding both during surgery and in the postoperative. It is obtained an excellent and good healing respectively in 10% and 60% of cases, a moderate and poor resolution respectively in 22.5% and 7.5% of cases. A clear diagnosis allowed the management of Venous malformations (VM) by laser devices with wavelengths highly absorbed in haemoglobin in safety and efficacy and according to the principles of minimal invasive surgery. The aim of this study was to verify if the laser is effective in the treatment of OVM for the purpose of the clinical findings and the postoperative course. The Authors concluded that the laser can be considered the "gold standard" for treating OVM.
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