Dental lasers are applied in numerous periodontal treatments, encompassing both surgical procedures on soft and hard tissues and non-surgical interventions such as microbial reduction, removal of surface deposits, and photobiomodulation. The objective of this review was to analyze the existing scientific evidence to determine whether lasers provide a beneficial effect when used as an adjunct during initial non-surgical periodontal therapy. A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted focusing on randomized clinical trials involving human subjects, in which dental lasers were utilized as an adjunct to initial periodontal therapy between January 2010 and April 2020. The initial search retrieved 1,294 potentially relevant studies. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 articles met the eligibility requirements for this review. The selected publications investigated initial therapy outcomes in patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. Following periodontal charting, conventional scaling and root planing were performed using manual or ultrasonic instruments, after which the test group(s) received additional laser treatment. The adjunctive laser group generally exhibited varying levels of clinical improvement compared to the control group treated solely with traditional methods. This systematic review revealed that approximately 70% of the analyzed trials demonstrated significant enhancement in specific clinical parameters, while no improvement was noted in others. The remaining 30% of studies showed no statistically significant differences between groups. When appropriate laser parameters are applied, lasers can serve as a supportive adjunct in initial non-surgical periodontal therapy.
