Impact of Er:YAG laser on wound healing following nonsurgical therapy: A pilot study

A histological evaluation of the mice oral mucosal tissue wounds excised with diode laser, Er:YAG laser, and cold scalpel

Laser has been considered to show many favorable characteristics, including wound healing acceleration, hemostasis, biostimulation, and microbial inhibition. Previous studies have investigated the effect of laser treatment during the process of wound healing, with conflicting results. To date, there is still no unified conclusion on the effect and application principle of clinical laser therapy. This study evaluated the incision morphology, wound healing speed, and histological changes in mice oral mucosal wounds excised with diode laser, Er:YAG laser, and cold scalpel. The results showed that compared with the cold scalpel group, laser treatments caused more tissue thermal damage and carbonization, which led to a healing delay. However, lasers also showed some advantages, including hemostasis, regular incision, and immune response mobilization, suggesting that lasers may be beneficial in some specific cases, such as reducing intraoperative accidents and wound tissue laceration and controlling bleeding and postoperative infection. This study provides a theoretical basis for clarifying the effect of laser treatments and their clinical application principle.